Flipping the script
by Boopittydoop
Summary: Perhaps Lewis should have backed away from the fairy ring when he had the chance. Now, he was sent to a fictional world that was doomed to die. However, he wouldn't let it happen if he could help it. He was going to do whatever it takes to survive even if it meant flipping the script.
1. Chapter 1

Lewis looked down the gun range eyeing the target: a metal pan with a diameter of half a meter. Flicking the necessary guide sights to make the 200-meter shot, he held his breath as he raised his rifle and pulled the trigger. The hammer smashed down, and after a small hangfire, the rifle fired with the faint ding indicating that he hit his target.

His friend David next to him whistled in appreciation. Lewis took out his ear protection to hear his friend. "Damn. You actually hit the damn thing from that range with a _musket._ I thought muskets are supposed to be inaccurate as fuck!"

The only response was a raised eyebrow. "This is a Springfield Model 1861. It's a _rifled_ musket not a smoothbore you neanderthal. One of the biggest reasons for the massive casualties in the Civil War was because..."

"Yeah. Yeah. Save your history lessons for later. I just want to hear mine go ping!" David took his spot and raised his M1 Garand after putting on his ear protection. He quickly sent 8 bullets down range until the iconic _ping_ from his gun rang out.

Meanwhile, Lewis was busy reloading his musket. He brought the hammer to half-cock, then immediately slid the riffle down onto its butt. He took out his paper cartridge from his ammunition pouch and ripped open the top with his teeth and poured the pre-measured black powder into the barrel. Afterward, he pushed in the bullet, paper and all, into the barrel and began ramming with his ramrod.

"Ah yeah. I always feel like creaming my pants every time I hear that ping. You finished reloading yet _old-timer?"_ Lewis scowled back at his friend as he finished ramming down the Minie bullet with his rod.

"Just finished." He then brought up his rifle

"Huh. You've been practicing or something?"

"Ever since you started giving me grief about reloading this beauty." The two boys went silent until Lewis once more fired to be answered back by another gong of a successful hit. "Now I can reload every 20ish seconds."

"You know. I don't understand why you still use that antique. Yeah, it has that old retro flavor, but it has to be annoying constantly reloading like that after every shot. Not only that the black powder fouls so after a couple of shots, you got to clean the nipple or you risk misfire. Even more, after 40 or so shots, you have to clean out all that fouling in the barrel since it gets difficult to load the bullet! So much maintenance!" Shaking his head, David reached for his water bottle.

Lewis's response was to simply shrug as he began walking towards his box that held all the necessary items for maintaining and firing his Springfield. "This is a hand me down from my grandfather so it was free, and I never deny free stuff. Second, I can make my own powder and minie bullet" -He held up the mold and crucible to emphasize his point- " so the only things I have to buy are the lead, black powder ingredients, and primer caps."

Looking into his box, David coughed on his water bottle and began heaving for air. After clearing his throat, he hissed. "What the hell! Why do you have so many caps?! With those arguments you were making, I thought you were a cheapskate when it came to guns!"

Lewis looked down at his five boxes of caps and then shrugged. "The place I usually buy these at was going out of business so I took advantage of the sale."

"But 5000?!"

"Only the 1000 boxes were left. The prices were really great. Now I admit, I may have gotten overbored."

"Ya think?"

"But now I don't have to worry about caps for some time."

"Nor bullets too. How many did you stockpile anyway?" Lewis did a quick scan of the paper cartridges. "About 20ish in the paper cartridges, but I have enough materials to make 100 more. I tried not to make too much since-Hey!"

David quickly reached into his box and yanked out the bayonet. "Holy cow! You even have this. Was your grandfather a reenactor or something?"

Lewis took back the bayonet. "No. He just liked collecting stuff. He was a real history geek."

"Like you?" David said as he once more moved back to the firing line and began aiming at the target.

"No. I am far from a history geek. I'm more into the... *Bang Bang Bang Ping* sciences."

"But you spout off so many stupid history facts!" David grumbled as he put in a fresh clip into his Garand. On his left, Lewis took up his own position as he aimed for the 250-meter target.

"First. Pot calls the kettle black? You are the World War 2 freak here. Second, it's because I read books you dingus and the books that have recently caught my attention are the Napoleonic Wars and a little bit about the Civil War. You should try that sometime. Read some books."

David snorted as he once more shouldered his rifle. "No thank you, honor student. I'm not stupid to take 6 AP classes in a semester."

"5. Not 6." He watched his friend take out six targets in rapid succession.

"Gee. That is _so_ much better. Which one did you drop?"

This time Lewis went for the 100-meter target. "Music theory."

"Ah... The class Emily was taking. I heard she got a new boyfriend."

"And that is exactly why I dropped the class. No need to torture myself to be with a girl who is already taken. I'm just thankful that I found out before the deadline."

David put down his rifle and wrapped an arm around Lewis's neck. "Ahh... Put away the frowny face. There are plenty of fish in the sea! I'm pretty sure you'll find one that suits you."

"Big words coming from a guy who has gone through 7 girlfriends."

David shrugged at the stab. "It's high school. What did you expect? Besides, I'm planning on holding off on any serious long term relationships until college. By the way, which ones are you applying for again?"

"A mix of ivy leagues, state colleges, and some safety schools. Whichever gives me the most scholarship is the one I'll pick. Do you need help with those college essays? I finished mine over summer break so I have lots of time."

David shook his head in exasperation. "Fucking honor student. On top of your freaking internship, you do your essays. Do you even screw around or play?"

"What is this 'screw around' you speak of?" Lewis answered with the most cringiest British accent he could mutter.

"Oh shove off. But thanks for the offer. I'll take you up on it."

"Sure. Just send me a text. But if I do help you, do you mind looking mine over as well?"

"Oh, that's why you offered," David said while shaking his head in mock disappointment. "I thought you offered since you were trying to be a good friend. Oh, woe is me."

Lewis put his hands on his heart and stepped back. "I am shocked by the lack of faith you have on me. What type of person do you take me for?"

"A psychopathic mad scientist who is only following society's laws because you fear the societal consequences."

Lewis frowned as he contemplated his friend's words. "Mad scientist I understand but psychopathic?"

"Dude. I still remember that time at Tom's farm. You were slaughtering pigs, cows, chickens, and you didn't even bat an eye. I still remember your words when you first slaughtered that cow. _Oooh! Is that the four stomachs? I thought they would be bigger!_"

"I do not sound like that-"

"Uh yeah, you did."

"Besides, it was necessary to kill those animals or we would have to go vegetarian for our entire time there."

"There is necessary to kill and there is enjoying the kill. And you, my friend, was definitely in enjoying the kill side."

"... Okay, but that still is not psychopathic. If we go by the clinical definition, I am not psychopathic. I still feel empathy and all that."

"Fine. I'll give you that. I still remember that time you balled your eyes out when we watched _Your Lie in April_." Lewis covered his eyes in embarrassment. "I'll revise my words and say that you have psychopathic tendencies. I still say we should totally go to a therapist and get it checked." David said jokingly.

"Therapists cost money, and I will not spend money on something I don't need as much as you believe I need it," Lewis answered back with sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"I don't understand why you are so stingy with your money. It's not like you're poor or anything."

"I am not stingy. I just like to save money when I can."

"Says the guy who splurged the most on our trip to Germany."

"Hey, I was legal drinking age there. Of course, I'm going to take advantage of it. It's stupid how high the drinking age is here. I'm going to be 18 in three more months. Let me drink by then."

David's eyes glinted. "You sure you can handle the alcohol. Help Help! The floor is spinning. The world is ending! Bleurgh. Right onto that waitress that you thought was pretty hot."

Lewis pushed his friend. "Shut up. I didn't think the cocktails were going to be that strong."

"Excuse me? Did the name Adios Motherf*cker not clue you in?"

"Wait. Wait. _That_ was its name? I downed like four of those!"

David stared blankly at his friend disbelieving. "Yeah. It said it right in the fine print! Quite clearly in fact!"

"Oh. I just ordered based on the picture." David only stared at his friend disbelieving before facepalming. As much of a smart person his friend may be, there were times when he questioned his friend's intelligence.

"Gah whatever. You are just as much of a dumbass as you are a smartass." David once more picked up his rifle and began to fire.

"Nice wordplay there. Preparing for the auditions?" Lewis said as he finished reloading his Springfield.

"You overestimate the master procrastinator. Of course, I haven't even started practicing yet. Wait. I'm on my last bullet. Let's make a bet. Whoever can hit that 450-meter target, buys lunch tomorrow."

Lewis sneered at his best friend. "You know as well as I do that you hold the advantage here."

"Oh c'mon. Isn't the Springfield a _rifled_ musket? What do you have to fear?"

"It's not that. I haven't practiced at that range yet. Also, the Garand is far more comfortable at those ranges than the Springfield."

"Oh so all that boasting of you being the better shot than me was a lie." Lewis narrowed his eyes.

"Fine. But only if I can attach something to this rifle." David shrugged. He didn't see how attaching the bayonet would help.

Lewis went back to his box and began rummaging around when he came back David's eyes opened in disbelief. "Where the hell did that come from?"

"Oh, this scope. I had a special comportment for this thing to avoid damage. Now you ready, or are you backing out?" Lewis snapped on the scope while staring smugly at his blond friend.

This time it was David's time to sneer. "I should have known this was what you meant."

Lewis shrugged. "Should have been more specific." He aimed and fired at the target scoring a hit.

David shook his head and also fired scoring a hit. "Darn foiled again. Well, it's a draw then. C'mon. Let's go back to our cars. I have a date with my girlfriend, and..."

"Go on without me. I'm going to clean out my rifle first before going home. Avoid cleaning up a mess that way. Just tell your uncle thanks for allowing us to use his range."

"Sure. I'll be sure to pass it on. See you tomorrow."

"See you." Lewis began dismantling his rifle and gave everything a thorough clean with some hot water that he boiled with his portable water boiler that was connected to an outlet in the nearby cabin. He wiped down everything with some cotton rags and then finished up with lube. He made sure to scrub until a shine came from the rifle. Just like when he first got it. He would be damned if he had to replace parts because he got careless with cleaning the rifle. It was going to be stupid expensive to get replacement parts due to how niche his gun was.

With his gun cleaned, he slung the rifle and the box over his back and began to walk back to his car. However, on the way, Lewis noticed a faint blue glow coming from the depths of the pine forest. Intrigued, he crept closer to the blue glow, but only after unslinging his rifle and fitting it with a bayonet. He just cleaned his rife so he didn't load it. Yet.

When he reached the mysterious glow, Lewis noticed that it came from a fairy ring of blue glowing mushrooms. Excited at the prospect of discovering a new species of mushrooms, Lewis quickly slung the rifle behind his back, took out his phone and snapped a couple pictures. He then stepped closer to the ring in order to take a sample using his bayonet. When he touched a mushroom, the entire fairy ring began glowing with a harsh blue light.

"What the f-" Lewis couldn't keep his eyes open any longer due to the harsh glow. He felt his stomach drop, and a strong wind toppled him over. When he reopened his eyes, he was greeted with the sight of deciduous trees instead of pine trees.

"Wait. Wait." Panicking at the sudden change, Lewis stood up to see himself at the boundary between a forest and a wheat field. A lazy dirt path was in front of him.

Immediately, Lewis took out his phone and was greeted with a no signal. After slapping himself to make sure it was not a dream, Lewis immediately began salvaging what he could of his situation. First, he went to the settings of his phone and started closing apps, turning down the brightness, changing everything to maximize his battery life. Second, he refitted his bayonet and began loading his Springfield. Once everything was loaded, Lewis sat down heavily on his box, put his hands on his forehead and groaned.

First, his survival situation. Food was most likely not an issue due to his gun. He could hunt, and he had some experience with gutting and skinning due to his time at the farm. Water was going to be the biggest issue since he had no way of disinfecting it. It was going to be very dangerous to get cholera in an unknown place.

Which brings him to a second question. Where was he? Lewis was well aware of the rumors and legends that surrounded fairy rings, but they couldn't be true, could they? He grunted in annoyance, perhaps they weren't so groundless after all. Perhaps, the Fairy ring whisked him _somewhere else_. It would explain the lack of signal from his cellphone. Not even a roaming data warning came.

Now that Lewis had a guess of _what_ happened to him, the question remained of what now? He would love to go back home, but how? Would finding another fairy ring work or would it simply send him somewhere else? How would he find one since the fairy ring that brought him here simply disappeared? Perhaps the first thing he needed to do was get information and that meant finding civilization. Judging from the dirt path, there were people and horses here.

However, before he moved on, he should do a quick inventory. As he brushed away his unkempt black hair from his eyes, he opened his box and began counting. First, he took out his water bottle and groaned when he realized that it was empty. Then, there were his earplugs for noise protection. He had 5000 primer caps neatly organized into five boxes. Next to the boxes, he placed his half-empty bottle of lube and the necessary equipment for the maintenance of his rifle. He still had his mold and crucible, but no lead to make more minie bullets. There were enough black powder, paper, and premade bullets for about 100 more shots. He only had 20 paper cartridges in his ammunition pouch that hung from his shoulder. There was his scope that was neatly tucked away in its compartment. Most importantly, he had his Springfield 1861 model with a bayonet attached. To top it off in his pocket, he had his currently useless iphone 10 that had 60 percent battery left. In his other pocket, he had his wallet holding his ID, debit card, coupons, and some cash. No food, no water, no fire starter. This only increased the urgency of his situation. He needed to get to civilization fast.

As Lewis was conflicted about which way he should go, he noticed a group of three approaching. As the three came closer, he noticed more and more interesting details. First, there was a man in blue _plate armor_ on a horse. Lewis eyed the lance on the man's back warily. He looked dangerous. There was another _blue-haired? _man who had a unique fashion statement with a shirt that had a sleeve missing. A highly decorated sword hung on his side. Finally, there was a blonde girl in a victorian style dress holding some sort of staff.

After some deliberation, Lewis decided that the three were not a threat so he laid down his rifle as a show of peaceful intentions. That said he made sure that he could quickly pick up the rifle should he be wrong. Once the group was a couple of paces away, Lewis raised his hand and gave a wave. "Hello."

It was the blue-haired man who answered back. "Hello to you as well stranger."

Now that he was closer, he noticed a strange tattoo on the man's shoulder. Before he could say anything, the girl bounded closer and began inspecting Lewis to his discomfort. "Wow. I've never seen clothes like yours before. Where did you get it?"

The armored man spoke before Lewis could. "My Lady. I ask that you step away from that man. He could be a bandit or an assassin."

Lewis quickly spoke up and put his hands up as a show of peace. "I am the farthest thing from a bandit or an assassin. I have no intention of harming any of you as long as you don't harm me."

The armored man grunted. "I shall be the judge of that."

This time the blue-haired man held up his arm. "Peace Frederick. No need to be so wary. He doesn't look like a bandit nor an assassin. You have my apologies for my companion's wariness,..."

"Lewis Davout. May I have your names as well?" Lewis stretched out his hand for a handshake.

"My name is Chrom, the delicate one over there is Lissa -Hey!-, and the wary one over there is Frederick." At those words, Lewis's smile froze, and his eyes widened.

Noticing the sudden change, Chrom leaned in for a better look. "Are you alright Lewis? You seem awfully pale."

"By any chance, you aren't cosplayers, are you? Please tell me the truth."

"I do not know what 'cosplayers' are. Could you clarify?"

"One moment." Lewis took a couple of steps back and glared at the forest which had many hiding places. "Alright! That's enough. You guys got me good. I don't know how you guys did it, but the joke has gone far enough. Now bring me home you assholes. I have to finish that essay due tomorrow. If I get anything less than A because of you guys wasting my time, I won't let you borrow my study guide for the Calculus exam next week. I MEAN IT."

Lewis stood panting as he waited for a response. The longer there was no response, the paler Lewis got. There was no way his friends would risk this, especially David who was close to getting a D in the class. He felt a hand go around his shoulder. "Are you sure you are alright Lewis?"

As the reality of his situation set in, Lewis plastered a fake smile on his face and tried to salvage the situation as much as he could. "By any chance, do you know about outrealm gates and how I could get there?"

Lissa opened her mouth in surprise. "You are an outrealmer?! But I thought that was just a myth!"

"It's a load of pegasus dung. That's what this is." Frederick lowered his lance and pointed it at Lewis's chest. "I'm sure you were trying to call your friends for an ambush. Speak!"

Realizing the situation, Lewis stepped back and began speaking as fast as possible. "No no! You got it all wrong! I just thought that my friends pranked me by knocking me out and dumping me here. I swear I'm telling the truth. I shouldn't even be here, but I touched that fairy circle, and now I am in this weird place, I really just wanna go..."

He felt a hand on his arm. Lissa began to pat his back in an attempt to calm him down. "Breathe. It's alright."

Lewis took some time to steady his breath and sighed. "Thanks. I have proof that I am an outrealmer. First, I have identification that labels me as a citizen of the United States of America which doesn't exist here presumably, and I have a piece of technology that doesn't exist in this world."

He took out his driver's license and his iphone and passed it around.

"Whoa. If I touch this, the picture changes." Lissa was having fun fiddling around with his iphone.

"That's not all. May I?" Lewis took back his phone and turned on Dvorak's New World Symphony- 4th movement. Lissa's eyes glowed in amazement.

"That's. So. Cool. Chrom, This thing has music coming out of it!" After a couple more seconds, Lewis turned off the music and phone to conserve battery.

He then turned to Frederick who was looking over his wallet and scrutinizing its contents. "Is it sufficient?"

"I cannot read it, but the writing is not one I recognize. However, that device in your hand is quite the mystery and gives credit to your story. I shall give you the benefit of the doubt, but explain why you called into the forest."

"My friends and I have a pranking streak. For example, one time we went camping and as a joke, we dumped one of my friends in the middle of a clearing while he was sleeping and had a good time laughing watching him flail around thinking we abandoned him. I thought my friends did something similar, but it seems not. It seems I really ended up in an entirely new world due to messing with a fairy ring."

"Fairy ring, you say?" Frederick's frown deepened.

Lewis once more took out his phone and showed him the picture he took of the blue glowing mushrooms. Frederick took a deep breath. "So it seems that the tales do have some basis."

"Do you know something?" Lewis asked with growing interest.

"That you are lucky to be alive. If my hometown's tales are to be believed, disturbing such a fairy ring angers the fairies resulting in the intruder being mutilated or being turned into a tree."

"What about being sent to another world entirely?"

"I am not sure, but I would refrain from messing around with any fairy rings in the future. Fairies are mischievous and vengeful little creatures."

"Even if they may be my only way back home?"

Frederick stared back. "Be grateful that the fairies even spared your life. I highly doubt they will show such mercy again or even let you find a fairy ring at all."

Lewis stepped back from the intensity of Frederick's voice. "Okay... If searching for fairy rings are out, do you know of any outrealm gates nearby?"

Frederick shook his heads. "I have not heard of those before."

Lissa piped up. "I read about them in this really old text in the ancient part of the library. It was only an obscure fairy tale though. I don't know about where they are though. Sorry."

"Is it possible to see those texts?"

Lissa opened her mouth to answer, but she suddenly turned her head away and pointed at a plume of black smoke in the sky. "Chrom! That's coming from Southtown!"

"Damn it. The town is ablaze! It must be those blasted brigands. Frederick, Lissa, Quick!" Chrom quickly shouted.

"What about him?"

"Unless he's on fire as well, it can wait." Without another word, the three dashed away at the direction of the smoke. Soon the trees obscured their view. Lewis stood there shocked as he contemplated what just happened. However, his biggest concern was 'where was Robin?"

He quickly did a look around to see if he missed any purple cloaked person lying down in the grass. Lewis's concern only deepened. He couldn't possibly be the replacement, could he? If he was, then this entire world was screwed because he had absolutely no experience with tactics or strategy. Yes, he had experience with games, but games were games and not real life.

In addition, it also meant that Frederick, Lissa, and Chrom just rushed into town without a tactician. Paling at the consequences, Lewis quickly picked up his box with his rifle and began running towards the smoke. He was not going to let his best chance at going home alive die.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer. I don't own Fire Emblem. **

**Well, I had this idea and decided to turn it into a story since I had some time in my hands. I hope you enjoy.**

After some time of hard running, Lewis came upon the burning town. A couple of dead bodies littered the road. Lewis crinkled his nose with disgust at the smell. Immediately, Lewis hid into the nearby thicket and began rummaging through his box. He had 20 cartridges so he took around 20ish caps from a box and placed them in his ammunition pouch. He even decided to bring his scope which he wrapped in cloth before putting in his pouch in case Chrom needed longer-ranged support. Making sure that his bayonet was firmly attached, Lewis covered his box with a tree branch and began running into town. Thank whatever god was out there that he had his gun with him. He would never have the courage to do this without it.

It was relatively easy finding what path Chrom and Frerick took. He simply had to follow the trail of dead bodies. Perhaps his friend did have a point that he had some psychopathic tendencies. He wasn't very disturbed that he was surrounded by dead bodies. The smell of blood and smoke was annoying, but it was endurable. Eventually, he heard a deep booming voice demanding, "Lay down your weapons or the girl gets it!"

"You bastard!" Chrom's voice answered in anger.

This didn't sound good. Dashing through the streets in the direction of the voices, Lewis slowed down when he saw the church and the town's plaza. Hiding behind an overturned cart, he peered at what was happening. There was good news and bad news.

The good news was that Robin was here. He (or she) had a tome in his (or her) hands and was standing next to Chrom and Frederick staring down the group of 10 or so bandits with who he assumed to be the bandit leader at the front of the group. The bad news was that the bandit leader was holding Lissa hostage with an ax to her neck.

The bandit was busy demanding that the three lay down their arms and die like good little lambs. Frederick was promising nothing but death if anything happens to Lissa. Chrom was busy trying to convince the bandit to let go of his sister. Robin was quiet, looking around presumably trying to find a way out of this mess.

The tension was only rising in the air, and Lewis knew it was about to turn ugly real fast. He needed to change this stalemate as fast as possible. Quickly, adrenaline pumping through his chest, he entered one of the houses and ran to the second floor. He slowly opened the wooden covers just enough to allow him a good view of the bandit holding Lissa hostage. He removed the bayonet, clipped on his scope, and did some guesswork on the range. His instincts honed by three years of practice told him the range was about 70 or so meters, and his aim was the eye. He was going to go for the t-zone to give the bandit instant death.

Of course, doubt started to run through Lewis's mind. He was not trained to hit such a target. If he missed which there was a good chance of, Lissa may end up dying. However, from what he could tell from the conversation, Lissa was _going_ to die if he did nothing. Then, after some consideration, he decided the risk was enough. Even if he did miss, the chance of hitting Lissa was low due to the size difference. Second, it was more likely that the bandit would drop Lissa from surprise than having the strength to push the ax and slit Lissa's throat. Third, as horrible as this sounded if Lissa ended up dying he could make a run for it. The bandits should give enough time for him to make his escape, and the shepherds would never know it was him since they knew nothing about his weapon. He would pretend to not know anything and simply hide in Southtown waiting for the whole thing to blow over. Convinced that the risk was enough, Lewis's eyes hardened, and he began to take aim.

Bracing himself on the window, Lewis slowly breathed in and out waiting for the bandit to stop moving. As soon as the bandit stopped to take a deep breath to scream something back, Lewis pulled the trigger.

The hammer smashed down onto the cap sending a hot flame down the nipple into the black powder. The powder immediately ignited pushing the lead bullet down the barrel. The force of the explosion caused the skirt of the minie ball to expand engaging the rifling of the barrel causing a spin. As the bullet exited the barrel, it continued spinning as it shot through the air towards the bandit.

Lewis was right about the aim. He was not trained for taking such accurate shots in highly stressful situations. As a result, his shot went low. However, Lewis had pure luck on his side. The .58 caliber soft metal bullet entered the throat deforming upon impact tearing apart the voice box and esophagus. However, the bullet continued, and upon contact with the spine, it shattered the bone and destroyed all surrounding tissue. The bullet exited out the other end of the neck spraying the bandit behind with the blood of his leader.

The bandit leader couldn't understand what happened. He felt something enter his throat, and all of a sudden, he lost strength in all of his limbs, and his vision suddenly began twirling. He died confused at why he was seeing everything upside down before everything went black.

Lewis winced at the ringing in his ear due to the shot. He didn't take his earplugs for obvious reasons, and firing in an enclosed room did not do any favors to his hearing. Lewis hoped Lissa would be able to heal any hearing damage if it came to it.

He breathed a sigh of relief as Lissa took advantage of the confusion and dashed out from the nearly decapitates bandit. The bandit's head was barely hanging on to its torso with a small strip of flesh. After confirming Lissa's safety, Lewis ducked back into the cover of the house. He heard the shouts of fighting resume, and Lewis began reloading as fast as he could once more.

When he peeked out once more, he saw how Robin was directing the shepherds to the direction he was in. Realizing what Robin was doing, he provided the cover Robin wanted. He fired once more bringing down another bandit with a shot to the torso. This time the bandits separated trying to take cover from Lewis.

"I am so getting hearing loss from this," Lewis grumbled in dark humor as the ringing in his ears got worse.

Robin immediately took advantage of this and began defeating the bandits separately. If any bandits were brave enough to come out of cover to help out their comrades, Lewis was there to teach them the folly of their actions. Soon it was over with the last of the bandits running away only to be run down by Frederick's horse or shot down with Robin's lightning.

Once Frederick returned, Lewis watched from the second floor as the four began coming towards the house he was sniping from. By now, the ringing in his ear was now manageable, and the first thing he was going to do was go to Lissa and get a check-up for his ears.

When he went down to greet the Shepherds, Chrom grinned in pleasant surprise at his sister's rescuer. He came jogging over and gave a surprised Lewis a big hug. "You have my eternal thanks for saving my sister."

"Yeah!" Lissa absently rubbed her neck. "You have mine as well. I was really worried there."

Lewis nodded as he accepted their gratitude. He turned to Lissa. "If you want to thank me, could you check my ears for any hearing loss? I didn't wear any hearing protection, and firing such a loud weapon in a room didn't help at all."

Nodding Lissa had Lewis sit down on a nearby ledge as she brought her stave to Lewis's ear. Frederick cleared his throat as he stepped forward and pointed at Lewis's rifle. "I assume that is the weapon?"

Trying to ignore the itching in his ear, Lewis answered Frederick's implied question. He was expecting it after all. "This is a Springfield Model 1861, a weapon from my world. It was my grandfather's before he gave it to me. I use it for hunting." A small half-lie since they probably won't understand the idea of keeping such a deadly weapon for the novelty of it.

Frederick continued to stare at me in suspicion so Lewis decided to speak up. "I swear to whatever god you believe in that I mean you no harm as long as you don't harm me. I mean if I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have helped you right?"

Frederick merely nodded before turning to the other stranger. Lewis couldn't help sighing a big sigh of relief that he wasn't a replacement. Judging from the conversation, it turns out that Robin was a girl, and she could use some sort of telepathy which increases the value of a tactician exponentially to national treasure levels, and Chrom was quite desperately trying to recruit said tactician into his private army.

"I'm sorry, _Prince._ But have you noticed that I am Plegian and the patterns in my cloak?" Lewis frowned. Something was very wrong here.

"My lord. I've had my suspicions, but now I am sure of it. That cloak is worn by those of the Grimleal."

Chrom put his hand on this chin and began scratching it as he inspected Robin. "Are you Grimleal?"

"My mother was. I am not."

Frederik stepped forward. "Where is your mother may I ask?"

"12 feet underground. Assassins came after her for running away to spare me the life of a Grimleal. They succeeded."

Chrom pushed back Frederick and glared at him. Chrom bowed his head in an apology. "Forgive my companion's insensitive question."

"It's alright Prince. I know how you Ylisseans hate Plegians. Do not worry. I am only passing through Ylisse to head to Ragna Ferox to give my services there. I'll be out of your hair..."

"Wait! I do not despise you for your origins. In fact, my resolve to recruit you is stronger than ever. You have fought to save Ylissean lives today and having a plegian join the Shepherds will only strengthen my sister's message for peace between our two countries." Lewis tuned out the rest of the conversation as he went deep into thought. Robin still had all her memories. What the hell. As Lewis considered the implications of this change, his stomach dropped.

The worst implication was that he was in the bad timeline. This was the most obvious and the worst possible result of such a change. The other was that Grima didn't go back in time with the children. This would be the far more preferable outcome. However, if he thought to the explanation of fairies, it was quite possible that they have sent him to the destruction timeline as punishment. Suddenly a small bonk on his head snapped him out of his thoughts, and he jerked back as he saw how close Lissa's face was to his.

After a small laugh at his reaction, Lissa told Lewis the results. "It's done. The damage wasn't as bad as you thought."

Having concluded his business with Robin, Chrom came over to Lewis. "Lewis. Today, you have saved Ylissean lives and even saved my sister's life. Allow me to properly introduce myself. My complete name is Prince Chrom Lowell of the Halidom Ylisse. I am also the Captain of the Shepherds, a small elite force dedicated to protecting Ylisse and its citizens from danger. I understand your circumstance as an Outrealmer; however, I wish to extend a similar offer that I gave Robin. The Shepherds are currently looking for more troops who can fight at longer ranges, and your bravery and your skill with your weapon has been invaluable in today's fight. I shudder to think what would have happened if you were not here. I offer a place in the Shepherds should you desire it."

"Hold on, my Lord."

"Just Chrom. Never was one for formality."

"Okay, Chrom. Just give me a moment to think." Lewis gulped as he was at a crossroads. No. There were no crossroads. He really had one option considering the very big possibility that he was in the bad timeline. He had to join the Shepherds if he was going to live. If anyone here was going to survive. Truth be told, deep down, he knew that he wasn't going to be going home any time soon. The fact that only Lissa read and knew about the Outrealm gate in some old texts only decreased the likelihood of him finding a gate much less a working one. It could be decades before he would be able to go home, and he didn't have decades. Not only that, judging by the signs throughout the town he couldn't read the writing in Ylisse. As a result, he was even more handicapped if he was to go lone wolf. The fairy ring? Hah. As if they would help him after dumping him here.

Lewis felt like crying at the impossibility of the task in front of him. Much of his knowledge of the game was pretty much useless or uncertain because of Lucina's potential absence. He had no idea about what will happen and whether he will survive. Frederick was right. The fairies were assholes. They weren't merciful. They sent him to hell. They sent him to a timeline doomed for failure. He was backed into a corner.

Resolve quickly settled into Lewis's face. No. Damn them. Screw fate. He was not going to go down like this. He was going to bit back like a cornered animal. If this was a good timeline, there was a good chance that he would set off on his own. Why interfere and risk his life if everything was going to be fine at the end? Now though? The more cowardly option was to join. He had a far higher chance of survival with the Shepherds. If everything went to shit, he might even be able to escape to the past with Lucina.

That was IF he was going to allow it to get that bad. No, the greatest chance of survival was him flipping the entire script. He could only do that if he had influence, and the Shepherds gave him the necessary influence. If things came to the worst, Lewis stared at Robin. Since there was no second Grima, killing Robin was a surefire way to victory.

However, that was where Lewis drew the line. He was no murderer, and he sure as hell had no right to judge someone for what they could do. He wasn't Lucina. For now, Robin stayed alive. If it came to killing Robin, he would prefer it to be untraceable to avoid social consequences. However, to kill Robin, he had to be close by. Once more, Lewis's resolve firmed. He had only one choice.

"First, I want to take a look at the book Lissa was talking about. If there is no information regarding ways for me to go back home, it would mean I am stuck here. If that is the case, I shall provide my services to Ylisse for as long as you need me." He still needed an out just in case he was overthinking things.

Chrom brightened at my words and grasped my hands. "Deal. We can finalize everything at Ylisstol. I need to report to my sister after all."

"Wait, Chrom. I would just like to add that I am not a trained soldier so I am still going to need a lot of training before I am truly ready for the field. There was a reason why I stayed in the house sniping until the fight was over."

"No problem. I figured as much. If anything that's even better because that means you risked your life to save lives even though you had no obligation to do so. In the Shepherds, heart and courage are the main requirements. Training will come naturally with time."

"Well then, I am looking forward to it." Lewis then helped the villagers of Southtown escape the church they were trapped in by the bandits. From the look of things, it seemed the bandits were about to set fire to the building with everyone trapped inside before Chrom saved everyone.

From his conversations with Chrom, Lewis found out that Robin was already fighting and was about to be overwhelmed until Chrom charged in like a bull. After that, Robin cast her telepathy skill allowing the four of them to make quick work of the bandits until Lissa was ambushed and taken hostage. That was when Lewis appeared and began raining thunder and death on the bandits. Sadly, he never got the chance to talk with Robin as she was dragged away by Lissa to help with treating the wounded.

By the time Chrom decided to head back to Ylisstol to report to Emmeryn, the sun was high in the air. After grabbing his box from the hiding spot, Lewis was waiting for Chrom to finish his conversation with the village elder. If things went by the script, he was going to turn down the offer much to Lissa's dismay.

In the meantime, Lewis was quickly doing the finishing touches on cleaning out his gun. Due to the new world he found himself in, it was imperative that he kept his gun in tip-top condition lest he causes irreversible damage. There were no spare parts he could obtain unless the blacksmiths in this era were more competent than he thought. The Springfield was the only thing giving Lewis any sense of security, and he would be damned if something happened to it. Now that he thought about it, he would need to have a long talk with Miriel to see if she could find a way to replicate his gun. It would open so many more options in saving this timeline. The sound of someone coming up behind him snapped him from his schemes.

"Yes, Robin. How may I help you?"

"I don't believe I have introduced myself to you yet?"

"Chrom told me about you."

"You know, it is quite rude not to look at the person you are talking to."

"Yes. So I have been told. Just let me finish this putting my gun together, and we can hold a proper conversation. This gun is the only thing I have left of my world, and I would never forgive myself if something were to happen to it."

"I see," Lewis could detect understanding in Robin's voice. "Do you mind if I watch? I have never seen such a weapon before."

"Go ahead." Lewis worked in silence as he began screwing in the firing mechanism into the designated areas. Once that was done, he gave it a good shake to make sure nothing was loose, gave one more look around to make sure he wasn't missing anything and put away his tools into the box. After slinging his rifle behind his back, he stood up to face Robin and was surprised.

Her cowl was down so he could see her entire face. She looked like the default Robin with white hair and the two ponytails reaching below her shoulders. In everyone else's case, there were some slight differences. For example, Frederick's face looked older and slightly more tan. Chrom's face was more masculine. Lissa's face had more narrow eyes. Robin's face was extremely similar to what Lewis was familiar with. The only difference would be the piercing red eyes that were observing Lewis, taking note of all his features like a tactician examing her soldiers.

"My name is Lewis Davout. How may I help?"

After a quick handshake, Robin began walking around Lewis looking him up and down. "I have been told that you are an outrealmer. I've read about one but never seen one before so I was curious."

Lewis slightly peeved at how Robin was looking at him fired back, "I am still human. It's just that I come from a different world. That's it. What do you mean you read about it?."

"I read about it in some ruins. It was about how this man who claims to have come from an outer realm arrived at this king's court and told wild stories about worlds with incredible technology, terrifying monsters, world-ending disasters. The man was offered a position as the court jester in the end."

"So, you believe I am lying about this?"

"I'll withhold judgment due to what I have seen so far. You are wearing clothes I have never seen before, and you wield an interesting weapon. At first, I thought it was some sort of magic item, but I do not sense any mana coming from it."

"Well, it wouldn't, considering my world had no magic. Well... after recent revelations, developed without magic seems closer to the truth. Never knew fairies were real until now."

"Fairies you say?" Lewis nodded and began explaining how he arrived in this world in the first place. He talked about the fairy ring, Frederick's story, and even showed a picture of it from his phone.

Seeing the phone, Robin's eyes shone with interest, and he let Robin borrow it as she started fiddling around with the camera. He took the phone back when she started to snoop around his gallery. "I'd like my privacy please."

"Sorry. If anything, you have convinced me of your origins with that. That machine is beyond this world's technological limits. To top it off, for it to even be mana-less..." Robin shook her head as she started mumbling to herself. She was shaken out of it when Chrom came over and asked if they were ready.

With a nod, the group began heading out into the woods. Quickly Lewis walked over to Robin and tapped her shoulder. "So, now that I've satisfied your curiosity, do you mind if you can satisfy mine?"

Robin's expression became slightly guarded as she tentatively nodded, "I will answer what I can."

"You're not amnesiac, right? You still remember who you are and all that?"

Robin stared incredulously at Lewis. "I still remember who I am. Did I give you the impression that I lost my memories?"

"No no. Just making sure of something. So, why are you joining the Shepherds? It doesn't sound like you have a fond experience of Ylisse."

Robin shrugged. "Employment. I don't really like the cold, and if I can avoid employment in Ragna Ferox, I'll take it. Second, Chrom convinced me to give Ylisse a chance. So, I'll meet his sister, and if I find out that she is really as committed to peace as Chrom claims, I'll be glad to join. Maybe even reduce tensions between Ylliseans and Plegians as well."

"So, you don't blame Chrom for his father?" This was something he had to find out.

Robin's eyes stared at Lewis for some time before slowly stating, "You seem awfully knowledgeable about this world for an outrealmer."

Expecting this question, Lewis gave the best answer he could think of. This question would only appear in the future, and it would be best if Lewis could nip it in the bud. "Think about the technology you just saw. My world has some technology that can record the happenings of other worlds and turn them into stories for entertainment. Now that I have learned the names of the surrounding countries, I believe I know which world I am in."

"Your country sounds very advanced. Are you sure you can't go back?"

"Looking is not the same as crossing the boundaries. We don't have the technology to go to different worlds nor communicate with them. Besides, I didn't know if this world was real until I ended up here. The machine isn't that accurate and very whimsical. Look don't question it. Even I don't know the complexities very well. I just read what it gives out because some of the stories could be entertaining. Whether I like it or not, I am trapped here."

Robin stared at Lewis with an amazing poker face. "Uh huh... Well, if you must know. I don't. I don't believe that people should be judged for their parent's crimes. My mother was quite clear about that."

Robin had a wistful voice when she mentioned her mother. "Are you alright? It must have been hard losing your mother. I may not be able to fully understand considering all my family is still alive, but when I think about how I will never see them again, it hurts."

"It's fine. I had time to grieve. I still have my mother's coat to remind me of her."

Lewis nodded. It was time for the million-dollar question. He had to know if Robin would stick with the Shepherds considering she no longer viewed Chrom as a savior like in the game. "Say Robin. You know about the current political situation in Plegia, right? With mad king Gangrel."

Robin sneered. "Yeah. He may have started fine, but ever since the Grimleal got their hands on him, he went off the deep end."

"You sound like you've met him before."

"I've seen a couple of his speeches. He is the biggest reason why I fled Plegia. Ever since he started his damn conscription laws, he sent soldiers into the outskirts to force people into his armies. No way was I going to be drafted to fight for him."

"Then I have another question. If war was to restart between Ylisse and Plegia, who would you support?" Robin stopped and looked at Lewis. It wasn't a simple look, but a deep scrutinizing look. Lewis tried to keep a neutral expression but failed. He instead gave an awkward grin.

"You are an enigma Lewis Davout. You are an outworlder who has more knowledge than he lets on." Inwardly, Lewis began panicking.

_Shitshitshit. I screwed up. I really underestimated her intelligence. Okay. Damage control. I have lots of practice bullshitting thanks to college essays. I should be able to get myself out of this._

"Yes. I know a lot of things. In the world I come from, education is mandatory starting at the age of five. I also loved reading lots of books. Especially books about other worlds. I have also taken a couple of classes regarding politics so I am able to infer many things as well." As soon as those words came out of Lewis's mouth, he started inwardly cursing. He was never good at thinking under pressure like this.

Robin wasn't buying it. Lewis could tell. She placed a hand on Lewis's shoulder and gave a squeeze. "You are a mystery, and I don't like mysteries."

Robin's grin just turned feral. Lewis gulped. This was not good. Time to bluff his way out. If there was one thing he knew, it was creeping out those of the opposite gender. Lord knows how many times he had to do it to chase away all those gold diggers from his friend. "Oooh... Sexy talk. Two can play at that game. Perhaps when we could get a room to ourselves, you could unravel my mysteries one layer at a time." He even added the signature eyebrow roll in the end.

Lewis didn't know until now that Robin's grin could turn even more feral. He felt like a piece of meat under the gaze of a dragon who hasn't eaten in a week. Although there were some people with such fetishes, Lewis was not one. His stomach dropped as he realized that his words didn't work. Why the hell didn't it work? It worked with those gold diggers. They ran away with disgust in their eyes.

"I would like that," Robin purred. Holy mother of god. That was a purr. She grabbed his arm and pulled it between her breasts. Holy shit, Breasticles. Lewis's brains were beginning to fuzz out. Robin's chest wasn't anything to scoff at. "I'm sure you would also like to explore me too hmm?"

Lewis knew when to cut his losses. This was not going to end well for him if he pursued this. Every single instinct from his toes to his head yelled at him to go away. Well, minus the part between his legs. Little Lewis was screaming, "DO IT! JUST DO IT!"

However, if there was one thing Lewis took pride in, it was that he was a man run by logic, not passion. Thus, he quickly chose the more rational option of... running away. Wrenching his arms away from Robin, he scrambled away to join Frederick and Chrom at the front. He could hear giggling from behind, but Lewis ignored it as best he could.

Damn it. He was bested. He made a horrible error. He assumed that this Robin would be similar to the Robin of the game: a cheerful naive amnesiac. No, this Robin was far more calculating, and he just showed her a weakness that she could exploit to her benefit. He needed to think of a new way to deal with her quick. Until then, he would stay away from her.

"Hello, guys. How far until Ylisstol?"

"We'll have to make camp. We'll arrive around noon tomorrow," answered Chrom.

"Indeed. That clearing up there looks to be a good spot."

"Great. Anything I could help with?"

Chrom pondered, "You said you hunted right?"

"Well, squirrels and small animals. Nothing big like boars or deers. It was more pest control. I'm not good at tracking."

Chrom shrugged. "Good enough. Just help me catch something. Frederick, go set up the camp and prepare a fire," Frederick's eyes glinted at the mention of fire. "Feel free to designate jobs to our female companions."

"C'mon. Let's go."

"Like right now?"

"Yeah."

"Hold on let me load first." Lewis was not going to fight a bear with an unloaded gun. Chrom and Frederick watch with interest as he poured the powder into the barrel and began pounding the bullet until it sat on top of the powder. He finished with a cap on the nipple, but he didn't bring the hammer to full cock just yet.

"Huh. That seems time-consuming to load. Reminds me of a heavy crossbow."

"Yes, but it comes with the advantage of a much higher power, range, and penetration. You really don't want to know what a soft metal bullet does to you if it enters your body. It can also shoot twice the range of any crossbow or bow accurately, and penetrate plate armor with ease at close ranges. Not even Frederick's armor would stop it. Not that I would shoot you, Frederick." Lewis quickly added on the last part.

"I see."

"Oh, Frederick. Do you mind keeping my box safe? For your safety, don't rummage through it. There are explosives in there, and I don't want to be responsible for blowing off your fingers. I'll show you the contents later if you must know."

"Understood."

With those parting words, Chrom and Lewis delved into the forest. In order to avoid scaring prey, they crept along with the utmost silence. Chrom was surprisingly good at finding tracks. Lewis couldn't help, but be confused at the type though. It was deer tracks, not bear.

Lewis shrugged. Maybe things were different. Eventually, they came across a herd of deer about 100 meters away. Chrom turned to Lewis and mimed a shooting action with his hands. Lewis nodded and took aim at the male, but suddenly Chrom stood up and unsheathed his sword scaring the herd away.

"What was that for? You just scared..." Lewis's protest trailed off when a small distance to his left, a massive Kodiak bear was staring at them, licking its lips. The bear was way too close for Lewis's comfort. Despite their size, bears were surprisingly stealthy. Who would have thought?

"Lewis. Run! I'll hold it off." Nodding, Lewis took a couple of steps back and turned around. He had a gun: a large caliber one at that. He just needed a good shot, and Chrom was the perfect tank to grab the bear's attention.

He climbed the nearby tree to get a better vantage point. By this time, the bear had charged Chrom who dived to the left to avoid being mauled by the bear. The bear wasn't able to slow his momentum in time so it ran into a tree headfirst. Angry, the bear stood up on its hind legs and roared, but it also gave the perfect shot to Lewis. A large crack resounded in the air, and the bear toppled over dead.

Chrom raised his eyebrows at the dead bear and looked up. "You weren't kidding about the power. I don't think I've ever seen someone take down a bear this big with one shot."

"Yeah..." Staring at the dead bear, Lewis realized that he was responsible for multiple deaths today. He has killed the bandit leader, another grunt, and blew off the leg of another before Robin electrocuted the bandit. However, Lewis didn't regret a single thing. He didn't throw up, and he sure as hell didn't remember the faces of the men he just killed.

No, he wasn't a psychopath. He just did what was necessary. Kill or be killed. He was pulled from his thoughts when Chrom asked him to help gut the bear. He nodded and as he stepped towards the bear, he decided to ask Chrom about his concerns. He had far more experience with these subjects after all. "Hey, Chrom. Today was the first time I killed."

Chrom's head snapped up. He stared with empathy in his eyes before he looked down guiltily. "I see. The first kill is never easy."

"That's the problem. It was easy for me. It makes me concerned if it makes me less human." Chrom shook his head as he laid a hand on Lewis's shoulder.

"Lewis, look at me. The simple fact that you thought that makes you human. You are aware of the moral boundaries, and you are scared of crossing them. Don't worry. I know great people who also faced similar situations. I have a friend named Stahl who also asked me something similar. As long as you understand the weight of taking a life, you will never cross the line. I envy you in a way. You won't have nightmares about it then." Chrom chuckled with a pained expression.

"Thanks, Chrom. I'll keep it in mind."

"Glad to help. If you ever need to talk about this, my door is always open. It's never good to keep things like this to yourself."

The sun was setting by the time they were finished gutting the bear, and the expressions made by Frederick and Lissa by what they caught made both Chrom and Lewis laugh. Chrom and Robin were in charge of cooking because Frederick and Lissa refused to get close to the bear. During that time, he showed the contents of his chest to Frederick and later Lissa. His rifle lay unclean next to his box for he could not get enough hot water to clean it out. He would have to clean it as soon as possible the next day.

While Frederick was keeping watch, Lissa asked lots of questions regarding his home world. "So you guys fly in these massive metal carriages? Wow. That's hard to imagine."

"If I had the internet, I would love to show you, but no connection here."

"What's the internet?"

Lewis was saved a difficult question by Robin calling out, "Dinner's ready."

After getting the bear kebob from Chrom, Lewis sat down a small distance away from the fire to get a good look at the stars. They were simply stunning. In a place with no light pollution, the stars could show their true brilliance.

Suddenly, purple entered his field of vision as Robin took a seat next to him. Lewis tried to keep his face as neutral as possible. To be honest, Robin scared him. A lot. Due to her far more predatory personality, he had to tread more carefully than he planned.

However, Lewis couldn't show weakness. He knew that Robin would only take advantage of that. This was why he started off the conversation. "So, you like to watch the stars, too?"

"Yes. It is fun trying to find the constellations. Do you have them in your world?" Lewis frowned as he looked at the sky. He never did have a strong interest in astronomy so he didn't even know the constellations in his old world at all.

"Well, I just think it's amazing to see so many stars in the first place. Because of these inventions called light bulbs, we were able to produce light even at night time. Enough light to turn night into day according to some historians. There is even a city with the nickname 'the city that never sleeps'. As a result, the amount of light we produced obscured many of the stars unless one went far away from civilization."

Robin frowned as she tried to picture what Lewis just described. "Huh. Hard to picture. Anyway, about that question you asked me."

"Yes?" Lewis asked warily.

"I'm going to answer that after meeting Emmeryn. If she is as nice as people describe, I'll help Ylisse. If not, I'll leave both to rot. It'll suck being in Ragna Ferox, but I'd rather freeze to death than be forced to fight a war I don't support."

"I see."

"I also haven't forgotten your other request of me exploring your... body." Lewis choked on his bear meat as Robin smacked her lips. After spitting out the bear, he noticed Robin chuckling at him. "You are so fun to tease."

"Oh, lovely. I just attracted the attention of a hag." For his retort, he earned a smack in the head.

"Call me a hag again, and I electrocute you."

"Act like a hag, and I call you one, electricity be damned."

"That sounds like a challenge." Robin held up a hand crackling with electricity.

Lewis called upon his inner Kazuma. He was positive Robin would fall for his bait. "I will dropkick you if you do. I may not do it immediately, but as soon as you let your guard down, my foot will go for your head."

"Oh, you'll hit a girl like me?" Robin organized her arms in a way that emphasized her breasts.

Lewis only smiled as Robin fell for it hook, line, and sinker. He stood up, pointed at Robin, and declared, "I yearn for true gender equality. I have no patience for one who talks about female privilege when it suits them and then complains about not being a man when it's convenient. Just so you know, I'm not the type to go for cliches. Say, for instance, you were to inflict unjust violence for petty things, I would fight back with no hesitation. _I'M A GUY WHO DOES WHAT HE HAS TO DO! YOU'D DO WELL TO REMEMBER THAT._"

Perfect. That was the face he wanted to see. Pure and utter shock from Robin. This must be the so-called rubbery face that Lissa once talked about. With this, he would be able to fight back if Robin started to push into unwanted territory. He felt a twinge of embarrassment and guilt, but it had to be done. He couldn't let Robin free-reign of any future conversations. There were some things that had to stay secret until the right time if this world was to survive.

He knew women of Robin's type. They weren't going to rest until their curiosity was satisfied. Now that he entered Robin's crosshairs, he had to shake it up show her that he wasn't afraid of fighting back. Show her that he wasn't prey, but a fellow predator. That way instead of taking what she wanted, she would be far more willing to compromise and negotiate. That was something Lewis could deal with. After all, when people decided to compromise, nobody was leaving happy, and Lewis was perfectly happy with that since Lewis's struggle was with time. Letting his secrets come out at the best _possible_ time.

Laughter caused Lewis and Robin to snap back into reality. Lissa was hooting with laughter and rolling on the ground. "Oh my goddess. Robin, your face. It was so perfect!"

Frederick and Chrom stared at each other before coming to a conclusion. "You'd get along with Sully."

After the eventful outburst, everybody started to turn in for the night. To Lewis's great horror, it was an uneventful one.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello. Here is a fast update. Due to circumstances, I had more time on my hands and being bored out of my mind, I decided to write another chapter. Sorry if the pacing is too fast. I just want to get past the beginning and get to the action. Hope you enjoy.**

"Lewis." After hearing his name, he felt something on his shoulder.

"Lewis. Wake up." This time his shoulder was getting shoved around.

"My lord. Allow me. WAKE UP!" This time Lewis slowly opened his drowsy eyes to see Chrom and Frederick staring down at him.

Remembering what happened to him, Lewis yawned while stretching his arms out and kicking his legs. Dried leaves stuck to his hair as he looked around with drowsy eyes. "Sorry. I didn't get a good sleep last night. Especially considering what happened."

"Yeah. You look horrible." Lewis merely nodded at Chrom's words. He could barely keep his eyes open.

"I'll be fine after shaking it off. Hey Lissa. Can you do anything with that staff?"

"I can't heal drowsiness. Ask Naga for that." Lissa giggled back.

"Figures." Realizing that nothing happened, adrenaline began pumping through his body snapping him awake for all but 10 seconds until drowsiness won once more. "Say Chrom. Nothing happened last night, right?"

"No. Frederick?"

"Nothing my lord. There was a couple of deer that went by, but that was it." Lewis settled into a poker face and nodded. So, he was really in the bad timeline. It seemed he made the right choice then. Now the question remained of what he needed to do.

First, however, he needed to wake up properly. He was still extremely drowsy. It was hard trying to sleep with how noisy the forest was and Lissa's snoring. The lack of a bed and the stupid stick driving up his spine didn't help much either. Adding on to that, Lewis's thoughts were running wild last night with what he would have to do to survive. Survive. He didn't care if Grima died or was merely put to sleep for a million years. His main goal was just to survive until dying of old age comfortably.

It would be nice if he could go home, but even Lewis knew that this goal had a time limit of a year. Maybe two years. The reason for this was any longer and Lewis's goals in his home world turned meaningless. In other words, going home would mean more misery than staying here if he took too long. At Earth, Lewis planned on attending college, getting a degree in engineering while interning in the breaks, getting a job perhaps even establishing a company himself after getting some experience and retiring in comfort. If he took too long in going back, Lewis's entire plan would go to waste, and it would take far too much money and suffering for his entire family to get his life back in order.

There would be the media coverage, the police reports, and the lawyers so Lewis shuddered of what he would have to go through if he took too long going back to Earth. None of the colleges he wanted to go to would accept him, and his family would be forced to take care of a grown man for an uncertain amount of time. Lewis shivered at the possibility of becoming a neet. It would be far more merciful to simply stay here and send a letter and a bag of gold to his family instead. If the speculations of the Annas were true, he could probably bribe one to do so for him. If not, Naga could be able to do it.

One year. If Lewis could not find a way home that would bring him back to Earth in a _preferable_ time, Lewis would give up and make his roots in this new world. It wouldn't be so bad... If he managed to fight back the apocalypse. He was guaranteed a comfortable life due to his connection with the royal family, and he wouldn't mind having a family here. The women weren't bad, and the probability of being falsely accused of sexual harassment was significantly lower here so he could let his guard down. No need to worry about gathering evidence to fight off jealous bitches for his best friend here. David... He'll be fine. He still has his football team, Alex, and Tom to replace him.

Reaffirming his decision of the one-year time limit, Lewis drowsily slung his rifle and picked up the box and began mindlessly following Frederick. The sun was barely up, and Lewis grunted at how these people were able to wake up this early without an alarm clock.

Suddenly, he felt a cold slimy thing go down his shirt, and with shoulder locking up as if he was having a seizure, Lewis shouted, "Holy F*cking Christ!"

Immediately, Lewis dropped everything and started shaking like a dog before thinking, 'screw it' and took off his shirt to find his ailment. A frog hopped out of his shirt and disappeared into a nearby thicket. Lewis whirled and marched toward Lissa and glowered down. Lissa really was small. If Lewis was to guess, she was around 150 cm. Lewis was 178 cm so he could give a proper glowering at Lissa... Who paid no attention at all. Lissa was far too busy laughing with tears running down her cheeks.

Lewis only stopped glowering when he felt a poke on his shoulders. It was Chrom who was looking slightly uncomfortable. "Umm... Lewis. Do you mind putting on your shirt? I would prefer it if you were decent when around my sister."

Lewis looked down at his bare chest and realized that he was not in the 21st century. He noticed that Lissa had stopped laughing and was now looking away while blushing as well as Robin. Lewis sighed as he realized his blunder. "Sorry about that. Forgive me."

Chrom merely shook his head. His eyes shone with sympathy as he has found a brother to share his pain with. "Don't worry. You aren't the first."

Frederick coughed. "If you don't mind, we still have a ways to go."

"Yup! Great idea." Lewis ran over and put on his white shirt with an unbuttoned collared shirt on top. As he was redressing, he heard Chrom saying something to Lissa.

It must have been a scolding because Lissa soon came over and said, "Sorry about that. It's just I couldn't help it with how drowsy you looked."

Lewis merely shrugged. He should have expected it to be honest. "It's fine. Nobody got hurt, and it was an effective way of waking up."

Now, Lewis had a choice to make. He could firmly tell Lissa that he did not appreciate pranks like this and save himself multiple heart attacks in the future, or he could deepen his friendship with Lissa. He knew that Lissa didn't really mean anything with her pranks, and she knew her boundaries. Not only that, he wasn't new to being on the receiving end of pranks. His friends made sure of that. Meh. Screw it. It never hurt to make closer ties to those of the royal family.

"Besides, I don't mind too much." Lewis smiled reassuringly.

"Really?!"

"It reminds me of how my friends and I pranked each other. We would pour water bottles on each other's pants to make it look like we peed our pants, during birthdays we smashed cake on the birthday boy's face, and we even threw cold water when one was in the shower. As long as you understand and respect the boundaries, I don't mind too much. Just understand this goes both ways." Lissa laughed as she shook his outstretched hands.

"You know, I misjudged you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I thought you were just a stick up the ass noble who doesn't know how to have fun; however, after that little outburst yesterday, I had my suspicions, but now I know for sure! You're actually a really fun guy!"

"Well, getting suddenly sent to a new world can drastically reduce... wait. Noble?"

"Yeah. You come from the Davout House in your world, right?"

"Uhh. No? The country I come from doesn't have nobles. We have super merchants that have the power of nobles, but not the nobles you are thinking of."

Lissa frowned in confusion. "But you have a last name!"

"Everybody in my country has a last name."

"Huh... So you don't have nobles where you are from?" Lewis shook his head.

"Not the nobles you are thinking of."

"So how does the royal family rule? How do they ensure allegiance and raise armies? I think that's what my tutors said..." Lissa scratched her head as she tried to recall her lessons of politics.

Lewis opened and closed his mouth as he wondered how much he should say. Ideas were very infectious, and he could very well screw over this entire world with civil war if he didn't handle it properly. Especially with someone like Lissa who had quite a big mouth. He shivered at the thought of a Soviet Union version of Ragna Ferox or even a French Revolution happening in Ylisse. With his position in the Shepherds, he was definitely going to end up on the chopping block. No thank you. If what he told Lissa, gets retold to the wrong person...

"Do you really want to listen to a lesson about boring politics and backstabbing? It makes eating bugs more interesting. When I was taught about it, I always liked to make doodles instead." Lissa made a disgusted face as she thought back to her own lessons.

"Is it that bad?"

"Do you really want me to tell you in front of Frederick? He might think that you've gained an interest in politics and recommend that you get more tutors to capitalize on it." Lissa's eyes widened in fear as she discretely stared at Frederick who was discussing something with Chrom.

"Whoop! That would be real bad! Well, it was nice talking to you!" With that, Lissa beat a fast retreat. She then ran off to bother Robin.

Robin... Lewis was nervous. He didn't know how loyal Robin was going to be. In Lewis's opinion, it would be best to ensure Robin's loyalty to the Ylissean throne by having her marry Chrom. Although many Yllissean nobles will be disgruntled, it will be a great show of peace in easing tensions between Plegia and Ylisse, making it easier for a united front against Grima.

Grima. First, he was going to check if there was a way if he could prevent it from awakening in the first place. Who cares if it was kicking the ball down the generations. If Lewis's plans worked, humanity would be facing the dragon with apocalyptic levels of artillery and nukes. If not, he was going to need to assemble the gemstones as fast as possible. This would mean that mounting an invasion of Valm was going to be necessary. He needed Tiki to convince everyone and a war with the Grimleal to give Chrom the gemstones.

With last night's confirmation, it was necessary for certain changes. The only question was what he needed to change. First, Emmeryn was going to be a major obstacle. Her policy of pacifism was going to kill everyone. As much as Lewis hated himself for this, he has considered just letting Emmeryn die. However, there was one problem with this plan. It would mean losing Chrom's trust.

With how much was at stake, Lewis could not hide how much he knew for very long. It would only be a matter of time until people realize he had knowledge of future events. In fact, he planned on letting as many people know about his future knowledge as fast as possible. Knowing this, if he simply let Emmeryn die, Chrom would most likely banish him, complicating his plans by a hundredfold. As a result, he either needed to change Emmeryn's mind or have Emmeryn die in a way that Chrom could accept.

Lewis's final concern was how many hiccups his plan would suffer. At heart, Lewis was a scientist. A nerd. Not a politician. Not a smooth talker. Not a speaker. In other words, Lewis was horrible at thinking on the spot. He liked to sit on a thought, run multiple scenarios through his head, and test them out if possible before actually implementing them. This weakness was profoundly reminded to Lewis with his conversation with Robin. He was not prepared for Robin's differences, and he has paid for it. Robin was now suspicious of Lewis which meant that every action of his will be scrutinized by Robin, making it harder for Lewis to subtly drop Robin hints. Now, Robin was most likely to take these hints as threats.

Lewis took a deep breath and let out a huge sigh. His feet hurt quite a bit. This was probably the most walking he has done in one day in all of his life. Thankfully, he hit the gym so he wasn't completely out of breath, but fatigue was starting to set in. Lewis grimaced as realization set in that things weren't going to get any better and the invention of a proper car wouldn't happen in Lewis's timeline.

Trying his best to keep his mind off the pain, Lewis began humming the Shire from the Lord of the Rings. He was brought out of his trance when he heard Lissa say his name.

"That's a nice song." Lewis looked down at Lissa and stared at where Robin was. He noticed a glare that was directed at Lissa.

"Hmmm... What did you do to make Robin so mad?"

"More of what I said. I told her that the sexual tension between you two yesterday was unbearable. You two should get a room when we get to Ylisstol. The Shepherd's barracks have some good soundproof walls." Lewis snorted at Lissa's miserable attempt to get a rile out of him.

"Lissa. It is clear to me of how desperate you are for a boyfriend if you think _that_ was flirting."

In response, Lissa puffed out her cheeks and began stomping angrily. "I want one, but Chrom always chases away any suitors. Well, excuse me! I can choose them for myself! Just because you can't find one, doesn't mean you have to ruin mine as well!"

Now, this was an interesting detail. "Chrom's being overprotective?"

"Oh, you don't even know the half of it."

"So are you picky with bloodline or are commoners okay?"

"Lewis, I'm flattered! My beauty..."

"Hold your horses. I was only going to offer you help in distracting Chrom if you find someone that catches your interest or even helping you find someone if it comes down to it."

"_If_ I find someone with how protective Chrom is..." Lissa muttered with a dark expression.

"Don't worry. You'll find someone. There are plenty of fish in the sea."

"That's a pretty good expression. I should use that sometime."

"Besides, I know a bit of the future." Lissa's eyes widened in response.

"No way."

"Way. You saw how advanced my world's technology is. Who's to say that we don't have the technology to see into the future?"

"Ooh! Then what's my future! Tell me. Tell me!" Lissa leaned in with a joking expression.

"Hold on. I don't know that much. There are limitations, and it isn't all that accurate. I just know that you'll find someone and that your child will have the mark."

Lissa's eyes bulged, and her mouth began opening and closing, "Wait... But how... What?"

"Lissa. Again, my world's technology was extremely advanced. We don't fight with swords and bows anymore due to how primitive it is. Now that I have heard about where I am, I have a decent idea of what world I am in. I have also read a couple of reports and future predictions regarding this world so I am not completely in the dark." It seemed that it was too much for poor Lissa as she tried to wrap her mind around what Lewis said. Instead, Lissa just hung her mouth open and took a step back with a frozen expression.

"You alright there Lissa?"

"But... What? Huh?" Deciding that Lissa needed some time to herself, Lewis left her and once more began walking by his lonesome. For a total of five seconds until Robin came over and matched his pace.

"What did you say to Lissa? She looked like she just seen a ghost." Lewis gave Robin a look that said she wasn't fooling anyone.

"You're just trying to find out what makes Lissa tick for some petty vengeance."

"Grg. She started it!"

"Then, you will finish it like a mature adult."

"Why are you treating me so differently? You gave Lissa a free pass!"

Lewis treated Robin with distance because he didn't know her. Simple as that. Frederick, Chrom, and Lissa had some minor differences; however, judging from what Lewis had seen so far, they were similar to the characters that his friend played around with. As a result, he knows more or less what to expect and knew how to approach them. Robin was a wild card. There were times when Robin acted like the character he was familiar with like now. She had the mischievous side to her that was revealed by her supports with Tiki or Lon'qu. Yet, Lewis still remembered quite vividly the far more predatory aspects that this Robin had. The face that Robin made was not one Lewis was expecting. Thus, until Lewis had a grasp of who Robin was, he would maintain a distance between them.

"It is because Lissa is young..."

"She is 15."

"That is still a minor."

"What? Oh yeah, Outrealm. Well here. People are regarded as adults when they turn 15."

"Meh. Does it look like I care?"

Lewis could see a small vein pop up in Robin's forehead. Interesting, that actually happens to people in this world. He was too focused on the vein that he didn't see the subtle changes to Robin's face. Robin took a peek to the left before she grabbed Lewis's collar and pulled him in right up to her face. When Lewis was about to yelp with surprise, an elbow dug into his diaphragm cutting it short. The pain caused him to drop his box which fell onto the forest floor with a thud.

"You're scared of me, aren't you?" Robin leaned in extremely close almost to the point where her nose was touching his. Her red eyes took up almost all of his vision.

"This is why Lissa..."

"Lissa isn't here right now. She ran off somewhere so she's too far away to see us."

"Wait, what?" Lewis tried to look behind him, but Robin readjusted her grip and forced him to look back at her.

"You talked about how your world can see into other worlds and see into the future. I also noticed how comfortable you were with Chrom and Lissa. They are supposed to be complete strangers to you yet you seem to act like you already met them before. You even tried to do the same with me. How curious. Is it not?" It was an understatement to say that Lewis was panicking. Lewis was sure that his heart would leap out of his chest at any moment. As Lewis was trying to think of how to get out of this mess, Robin continued.

"Curious enough to ask this. What did your world's technology show about me? _What do you know about me?_" Lewis felt something sharp on his stomach, and a shiver went down his spine.

Oh, crab biscuits. It seemed that he may have severely underestimated Robin on top of misjudging her. "Now, now, let's not be too hasty."

"Enough. Tell me why I shouldn't gut you right now."

"Because of Frederick. You don't want to confirm his..."

"Like I give a damn about the Ylisseans. I am also confident enough to run away if it came to it. I have enough of a head start. Don't even think about screaming for help, I'll kill you before you get the chance." Lewis believed Robin. He really did.

"Okay. Okay. I'll talk. First, let me say that I am on your side. I will NOT divulge your secrets carelessly until necessary."

"Be more specific with the necessary."

"Umm... Can we just wait until you meet Emmeryn? I'll explain everything when we get there."

"And place myself in the capital of the country that would most want my head. Not a fat chance." The implied meaning of those words gave Lewis pause.

"You know. You really know what you are," Lewis whispered. He looked down at Robin's gloved right hand. Robin followed Lewis's eyesight, and her knuckles grew whiter as she realized what Lewis was thinking.

"Of course I know what I am. What type of... You asked if I remembered. Did your stories say that I was an amnesiac?"

Lewis slowly nodded. He took the initiative as a plan was forming in his head. "Look, I am going to repeat what I just said. I am on your side. I want to say more to convince you, but I am afraid of someone listening in. Whether physically or _magically. _Now before you consider killing me to protect your secret, understand that doing so would mean the end of this world because you would have just killed the one person who has knowledge of this world's apocalypse."

He saw Robin's eyes widen. Lewis quickly pressed his advantage. "That's right. This world is going to end in the near future, and I think you know why. I'll just tell you right now that I have no intention of killing you to avert that future. If I wanted that, I would have told Frederick discreetly last night so that he would kill you in your sleep. He is already suspicious about you, and if he knew what I knew, even if he didn't act on it, he would have had a much closer eye on you than now. Heck, I could have even killed you from the very beginning with my weapon. I was in an excellent sniping position. Look, I know of an alternative future where everyone, including you, can live a long happy life. If the stories I have read are accurate, you'll marry and have a loving family. You will even have a cute little boy named Morgan who would desperately try to become a tactician just like you. He'll be one energetic ball of happiness. Kill me and you throw that chance away. Please... From what I know so far, you aren't the type to easily commit cold-blooded murder."

"...Okay. I believe you." Lewis felt the grip on his shirt weaken and the sharp feeling from his stomach go away. Lewis couldn't help but sigh a breath of relief.

"Thank you. I'll explain mo..." Lewis stopped when he saw tears coming out from Robin's eyes.

"Umm... May I ask why you are crying?"

Robin tried to wipe away her tears, but they continued to pour out. As Lewis was wondering what he should do, Robin grabbed Lewis and pulled him in for a hug. Mouthing _WTF, _he returned the hug and began rubbing Robin's back. Well, tried to rub because her bra was getting in the way so he was more patting. Robin eventually pulled out of the hug and stared back at him with puffy red eyes.

"Thank you." That word caused Lewis to freeze up in confusion. Huh? Why was she trying to thank him when just a couple seconds ago she was going to gut him like a fish? Noticing Lewis's confusion, Robin clarified.

"Other than my mom, you are the first person to treat me like a normal person despite knowing who I am. You even promised me a normal life as a _human._ You don't know what that means for me when all my life I was hunted due to this stupid mark. Something I never asked for," Robin whispered the last sentence in a broken voice.

Robin stared back at him with hope and fervor in her eyes. "Is it true? Can you really grant me a normal life? Will I really be able to have a family despite being you know what...?"

Lewis opened and closed his mouth as his brain was trying to catch up with the sudden change. "Uhh. Yeah. If your definition of normal is fighting in three wars, then yes. If you win all three of them, mission accomplished."

Robin's eyes hardened with determination. "So I have to win Ylisse three wars," She gave a wry smile. "I don't know how to feel about that."

"Give Ylisse a chance. Who knows you may end up marrying Chrom?"

Robin's eyes scrutinized Lewis's face. "Is that a joke or are you serious?"

Lewis gave a goofy smile in return. "The stories were quite unclear who you marry. Let's just say that who you marry is entirely up to you."

"Are you available?" Robin asked with a teasing expression which would have been sexy had it not been for her puffy eyes and snot running down her nose. As sexy as Robin was, Lewis did NOT want the bundle of future stress and complications that was Robin. He could just imagine how much stress Robin was going to end up enduring, and if he did marry Robin, it was going to be his job as her husband to keep her from having a mental breakdown. That and the possibility of becoming a single parent in the future was a bit too much. Lewis coughed and was trying to think of an open-ended answer that would also reject her at the same time. His response was only an 'Uhh...' until Chrom, bless his awkward luck, crashed into them. Frederick was close behind with Lissa.

"Oh, Lewis. I finally found you. You gave me a heart attack when I noticed you weren't following us. Is it true that you know the future... Is there a reason why Robin is grabbing you like that? Was she crying?"

Robin realizing how this looked pushed Lewis away who stumbled and fell down on his ass. Lewis got up and brushed his pants off before replying, "Yes. Robin found out, and when she realized that I knew the future, I told her what I knew of hers. She ended up getting really emotional, and here we are."

Frederick took the time to speak up. "My lord, I would still exercise caution to Lewis's claim."

"Is it that hard to believe my people have ways to look in the future of other worlds? You did see how advanced my people's technology is?"

"An advanced music box. I do not see how... What are you doing?"

"Recording. and done." Lewis had taken out his phone and began recording his surroundings as well as Frederick. After a couple of seconds, he then replayed the video to everyone's astonishment.

"Frederick that's you! And the picture, it's so lifelike, and it's moving!"

Frederick's mouth was opening and closing as he stared hard at the phone's screen. "If my people can do this, what else can we do? Hmm? Let me show you what else we have."

Lewis opened his gallery and selected a couple of pictures for a slideshow. He made sure to pick pictures that would blow away the mind of a person from the medieval ages: pictures of massive cities like New York, skyscrapers he has visited, cars, and trains. In the meantime, he started retelling everyone of what he told Robin of the machine.

Lewis stared at Frederick with a smug expression as Lissa and Chrom watched the pictures with excitement in their eyes. "Well?"

"Then show us the machine that can see the future."

Lewis could only shrug in disappointment. "I wish I could, but even you should understand how easy it would be to abuse such a machine. Imagine how bad things would be if you configured it to our home world instead of other worlds. Future knowledge can easily be abused. As a result, it is not available to the public's eyes. It is under heavy guard, and the only evidence we have that such a machine exists is the numerous exciting stories the machine produces of _other_ worlds. It's good entertainment. Don't ask me how the machine works. Nobody taught me nor is it information that can easily be found."

Frederick could only grunt with displeasure as he was unable to punch holes in Lewis's story with how little he knew about Lewis's home world. Even if he did question Lewis more, he wouldn't be able to tell if Lewis was speaking the truth or not. "Then, tell me what it said about me."

"The stories weren't detailed about you. You should know that the royalties have the best entertainment value. I just know you as Frederick the Wary. You like starting fires, you clean pebbles off the roads so Chrom doesn't trip on any, and you had the accident with the wolves when you were young which traumatized you so that you have trouble eating gamey meat like a bear." Frederick made a choking sound at the last part.

Lewis continued. "Also, I'm trying not to talk about the future too much because of how flexible it is. Nothing is written in stone, and to be honest, the fact that I am here concerns me a lot. It means that things have already started to diverge from the original timeline. I hope that I haven't torn the space-time continuum. That would result in horrible consequences such as the grandfather paradox..."

Frederick closed his eyes as he tried to wrap his head around what Lewis was saying. He failed, and rubbing his nose with one hand, he sighed as he held up his other hand to stop Lewis from saying even more confusing jargon. "Enough. I shall withhold judgment once more."

Lewis patted Frederick's armor. "Don't worry. Even I don't understand half of it. You could spend your entire life studying about it, and you would still barely scratch the surface."

"With how advanced your people seem to be, are you sure that you are unable to go home?"

Lewis did his best impression of an unimpressed look. "I would if I could. Sadly, my world hasn't perfected travel yet. The best comparison would be like a map. You can look at an area with it, you can know where it is, you can figure out where the mountains are, but you can't travel instantly using a map. Understand?"

Frederick merely shook his head as he went back to tend to his horse while Chrom and Lissa were still fiddling with his phone... They were looking through his private folders, weren't they... Oh crap. NOT THAT FILE!

Lewis lept forward and ripped the phone out of Lissa's hands. "I would ask that you allow me some privacy. You almost saw something embarrassing of mine."

Lissa's eyes glinted at the words. Lewis quickly tried to convince Lissa otherwise until he remembered that Lissa wouldn't be able to get past his lock screen anyway. So far, his plan seemed to work. Convince people that his homeworld could look at the future of other worlds. If they got too nosy about it, deflect with complicated jargon and vague words. So far so good. He just needed to keep his story constant which shouldn't be too hard since he wasn't too detailed about it, and he made sure to leave enough wiggle room if it came down to it.

"Wow. I truly underestimated how advanced your people were," Chrom had a dreamy look in his eyes. "However, why didn't you say anything until now?"

"First, didn't know what world I was in until now. There could more than one Chrom out in the outrealms. Second, I was trying to see how trustworthy you are. There are many who would kill to know what I know. After some time together, I think I can trust you guys. I hope I'm not wrong Chrom." Lewis held out his arm in a gesture of friendship.

Chrom happily grasped it and shook it. "I am thankful for your trust in me. I will make sure that your faith is not misplaced. And..."

Chrom bowed. He actually bowed, causing Lewis to raise his eyebrow. "You helped take an immense load off my sister. I can never thank you enough for that."

Lewis smiled. "I'm glad that I could help, but are you okay with the thought of Lissa having kids?"

Chrom's expression darkened slightly, "As if I would let those disgusting pigs meet with Lissa, they only want her for her status. I want someone who could see Lissa for who she really is, not ogle her like she is some prized meat."

Lewis eyed Chrom and Lissa with a slightly suspicious eye. His plan was working well. A little too well. "You know, I expected more resistance to my story. One of the reasons why I held off on saying anything."

Chrom merely shrugged. "If it was anyone else, yes, I would write you off as someone insane. However, you have that... ah... 'phone' with you and that thunder spear. I do get the impression that you aren't saying the whole truth, but I won't pursue it. Not only that, when we were talking together, I couldn't help but feel that I was talking to someone who knew things about me that I didn't tell them. You didn't seem like a spy so I didn't say anything. Anyways, until evidence says otherwise, I'll believe you. You should have a talk with my sister. If she believes you as well, then you will have my complete trust."

"Good enough." Lewis took a peek at Robin to see how she was doing. She put up her hood to hide her puffy eyes so he couldn't see what expression she was making, but Lewis could tell that their conversation was far from over.

The rest of the trip was Lissa grilling him about the future and Lewis trying to avoid spilling too much information.


	4. Chapter 4

**Enjoy.**

Lewis was quite impressed with how big Ylissetol was and how clean it was. He was expecting dying horses and human feces all over the streets, but hygiene seemed to be maintained.

"Wow. This place is beautiful." Robin muttered.

"Thanks. This city is Ylisse's pride and joy after all. What do you think Lewis? I know it isn't as big or as fancy as the cities you're used to, but..." Chrom stood with his hands on his hips as he overlooked the city in all its glory.

"I think it has a nice peaceful and old-style to it. It's nice. I can definitely tell it's the capital." Chrom nodded accepting Lewis's compliments with a smile.

"C'mon. Let's go." Once the group was inside, Lewis managed to get a glimpse of Emmeryn. She like Robin was remarkably similar to her portrait in the game. Her hair was a bit thinner, a bit dirtier blonde, and less curly, but it was enough for Lewis to immediately identify the Exalt. With a twitching eyebrow, Lewis saw how much the game understated how the people loved Emmeryn. They were literally grasping at her feet and trying to kiss her hands. It was like she was the freaking pope to the people... Wait... She was the pope, wasn't she?

Chrom noticed Lewis's face. "That's my sister Emmeryn. She is Ylisse's jewel. The hero the people needed in our darkest time."

Lewis merely stiffly nodded as Emmeryn disappeared from view. He was beginning to feel guilty about planning her death. Lewis prayed to Naga that she was open to rearming Ylisse. Even if it was after the Plegian war, should Emmeryn persist in keeping to her policy about disarmament, Walhart would slaughter everyone. If it came down to it, Lewis may just end up having a better chance at surviving by joining forces with the conqueror. However, if there was one thing that Lewis learned from world history was that people who desired to conquer the world rarely achieved a happy ending. Ghenghis Khan was the only exception, and Lewis was positive that Walhart was no Ghenghis Khan. He was defeated twice in the game after all.

He saw how expectantly Chrom was looking at him. Ah right, he should give a response. "I have lots of respect for your sister if what I have read about is true. She still has that scar under her forehead when the people threw stones at her, right? She is one forgiving ruler. If only there were more people like her." Lewis made sure to heap praise after just realizing that he may have brought up a painful memory.

Yet, he still made sure to apologize. "Ah, sorry if I brought up painful memories."

"No, it's alright. You didn't mean any harm with it. I also believe this world could use more people like her."

The rest of the way to the castle was silent for Lewis, Robin, and Frederick. Chrom and Lissa had many admirers come up to them and offer gifts or say thanks for their hard work. In the meantime, Lewis was looking around drinking in the sights. Overall, the town reminded him of a stereotypical medieval city. The houses were mainly made of wood while the distant upper district houses were made of stone. The road was simply a cobble of stones put together.

It made Lewis wonder if they discovered concrete yet. If not, it would be up to Lewis to introduce it. Roman concrete shouldn't be that hard to replicate. It was volcanic ash, limestone, and... Lewis couldn't remember the rest of the ingredients, but it shouldn't be that hard to find out after some trial and error. He knew it was some type of mineral, and he had the scientific process to bank on. That and Miriel. Dear God or was it Naga now? Please let Miriel be as smart as the game portrays her to be or it may very well complicate a significant portion of Lewis's plan.

Eventually, the castle came into sight, and after a couple of words with the guards, they were let through. The doors leading to the audience chambers were the only thing between Lewis and the Exalt of Ylisse. To be honest, Lewis was slightly sweaty. He had absolutely no idea how to deal with royalty and no concept of etiquette in this realm. He really couldn't afford to alienate the nobles since he was probably going to need at least half of them to support him when it came to the reforms he was going to try to push. If anyone was willing to listen, they may just end up tossing him out. But then, that would only leave Valm... Sigh... Lewis pushed down his doubts and solidified his resolve. It wouldn't due to stutter at this crucial stage.

At last, the doors opened to reveal the spacious room of the audience chambers. Noticing her siblings, Emmeryn smiled and stepped down her throne to meet them properly. After some small talk, Chrom gestured to Robin and Lewis.

As Emmeryn drew closer, Lewis couldn't help but feel that the game sort of embellished Emmeryn a bit too much. There wasn't any peaceful aura that radiated off of her nor was she drop-dead gorgeous. She did give the motherly impression, however. She first turned to Robin and gave a warm smile.

"So," Lewis's eyes opened wider in surprise at her voice. He quickly realized that it was her voice that made her so charismatic. She sounded like a female queenly version of Morgan Freeman. "you must be the plegian that caught Chrom's attention."

Robin gave a bow in greeting. "Yes, your Exalt.."

"And I have heard that you are capable of performing the lost arts of the tactician?" Lewis's eyebrows perked at the information. Being a tactician was a lost art? Huh?

"Yes, your majesty. However, I have made it extremely clear to the prince that I will only join his group after I have met and determined what type of ruler you are."

"And what are your initial impressions?"

"You are not like your father that the Grimleal and King Gangrel believe you to be. However, is it possible if we could share some tea together some time? I wish to learn more about the ruler that I may end up being employed under."

"Yes. That sounds lovely. Does tomorrow afternoon work for you?"

"Yes."

With Emmeryn's discussion finished with Robin, she then turned to Lewis. He tried his best at keeping a poker face and a straight back as Emmeryn stepped closer. "Chrom has told me that you are an outrealmer. He tells me that you had the misfortune of disturbing a fairy ring and that you were sent to this world as punishment."

"Yes, your majesty." Emmeryn gave him a scrutinizing look before continuing.

"He also states that your people has the ability to look into the future."

"That is a huge simplification of what my people could do. It's actually much more complicated, but I am trying to simplify into words that you would be able to understand."

Emmeryn smiled at Lewis's response. "I must say that I am curious as to what you know of our future."

It was that moment that Frederick took the moment to speak up. "My lady. I must give you my doubts regarding these two individuals. First, Robin could very well be a brigand or a spy planted in Southtown to gain our trust. As for Lewis, although what he has shown me makes it clear he is an outrealmer, I cannot help but have some doubts as to his claims that he has seen our world's future."

Lewis took that moment to speak up. "I have proof of being an outrealmer, but I have no proof of knowing the future, and I am hesitant on trying to prove it for messing with the flow of time carelessly can have drastic consequences. I merely ask that you give me a chance to back up my claims. I would also love to have a talk with you regarding this country's future. There are some things that I wish to change, and I cannot do it by myself."

Emmeryn listened to Lewis's words, and she closed her eyes as she tried to make a judgment of the peculiarity that was Lewis. "You say that you have proof of being an outrealmer?"

Lissa took that time to pipe up. "Yeah, Lewis! Show her that 'phone' of yours!"

Nodding, Lewis took out his phone and showed it to Emmeryn. Obviously, it would be better to introduce the harmless technology first. To help solidify her impression of him, he showed her pictures and some videos of his homeworld as well as played some music for the Exalt while explaining the background of everything. Lewis bit his lips when he saw the battery on his phone. There was only 30 percent remaining.

Eyeing the mysterious piece of technology, Emmeryn gave a small nod. "That is quite the item... I'll believe you. After all, I don't get the feeling you've gone mad."

"You can tell if people have gone mad?"

"I am one of Ylisse's best healers after all. I can tell if one is inflicted with madness. It was one of my specialties." Emmeryn spoke with a faraway look in her eyes. She then returned to the present and began wrapping things up.

"You all must be tired from your trip. You especially Lewis. It must be difficult to find that you have been ripped so forcibly from your home. If it is within my power, I shall help you if I can."

Lew shamelessly quickly took advantage of those words. "Actually there are some ways you can help me. Like I said earlier, I would love to have a conversation about this country's future so it would be nice if you could schedule a meeting with me if you could. Second, I plan on seeing if I can reproduce some of my world's technology for this world. As a result, it would be great if you can introduce me to some of Ylisse's top craftsmen and leading experts of the natural world as well as provide me with a laboratory. Third, I would appreciate it if you could allow me access to any books that you have on outrealms to see if it is possible for me to go back home."

Emmeryn considered Lewis's request before she gave a nod. "I would be a fool to turn down your request. I will write you a letter of introduction as well as inform the scholars at our university of your existence as well as the crafts guild. I am sure that they will also be thrilled to provide you with a laboratory as well. The royal librarian will also be notified of your special circumstance so he may begin collecting any books that may help in your quest to go home. As for your meeting... Due to the rising number of brigands in my country, I do not have much free time. I will try to set up a meeting sometime this week. I'll be sure to send a notice to inform you of the details."

Lewis bowed in thanks. "Thank you, your majesty, for your understanding."

Emmeryn waved a hand to dismiss the two of them and turned around to speak with Chrom and Frederick in more detail about the skirmish at Southtown. Lissa skipped over and grabbed Lewis and Robin's arm. "C'mon! I'll show you the Shepherds' barracks."

Lewis and Robin were dragged to a modest building to the west of the castle. On the way there, Lewis decided to have fun with his future knowledge and gave some warning to Lissa and Robin of what to expect. A massive burp. After giving Lewis a weird look, Lissa began explaining each and every room they passed.

"That's the common room. It's where Chrom will announce any orders or missions for us. It's also where we put up flyers and all that. That's the room you will be most comfortable with Robin. It's the war room. This is the way to the mess hall. Oh hey, Sumia!" Lissa smiled as she waved to a brunette who was drinking tea and reading a book at one of the tables. Noticing her friend, Sumia got up to greet them.

"Hi Lissa! How was..." Sumia wasn't able to finish her sentence as she promptly faceplanted on her way to Lissa. A spear rolled off into the distance. Lewis raised an eyebrow at the sight. Although Sumia appeared to be clumsy, at least she wasn't tripping over air. Giving a small huff of amusement, he put down his box and leaned forward to help Lissa with Sumia. As expected of a pegasus rider, she was quite light.

"T-Thank you. Doh. This is so embarrassing." Sumia covered her eyes with her hands and pouted giving off a cute expression. Lewis's sadistic side wanted to tease her more, but he held himself back since they were still strangers.

"It's those boots of yours," Lewis stated. Sumia gave a look of surprise before looking down at her boots and giving them a small shake.

"I really should get new ones. How did you know?"

"He knows our future!" Lissa interrupted. "He's an outrealmer whose people had technology that could see into the future! Heck on the way here, he just listed off all the members of the shepherds he wanted to meet."

Sumia's face just froze as she tried to make sense of what Lissa just said. She then began chuckling nervously. "That's a nice joke right there. It's about that book you've read some time ago, right? So, who are these two without the jokes please?"

"Well, they are our newest recruits! Robin's our new tactician, and Lewis is going to be the new archer we have been looking for!"

Robin took that moment to introduce yourself. Shaking Sumia's hands, she spoke. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Robin, and I'm going to potentially going to be Chrom's new tactician. Haven't made up my mind yet."

Lewis took that time to properly introduce himself as well. " My name is Lewis. I'm going to be a potential new long-range supporter as well if I can't find a way back to my world. Yes, Lissa wasn't lying about me being an outrealmer."

Sumia's handshake stiffened as she scrutinized Lewis's face to see if he was messing with her. It was in that moment someone busted in through the door and began stomping loudly to the fruit basket on one of the tables.

"Oh! Hi, Sumia. Hey, Lissa! How was the mission? Did Chrom not have any trouble without 'teach' and his trusty ax at his side? So who are these two chumps?" Vaike proclaimed loudly as he took a massive bite of an apple and began smacking his lips as he ate. Before anyone could offer an explanation, a blond blur blew past and began spinning Lissa around. Taking advantage of Maribelle's entrance, Lewis began subtly pushing Robin to get closer to Vaike much to Robin's confusion.

"Lissa my dear! Are you alright? Are you hurt? Do you see my hair? I have 14 grey hairs because of you!" A blonde noblewoman with drills of hair spiraling down her shoulder stopped spinning Lissa and began fussing over her.

"Maribelle! Stop! You're embarrassing me over in front of our new recruits!" Lissa desperately tried to stop Maribelle from ruffling her hair and failed miserably. After getting her fill of smothering Lissa, Maribelle turned to Lewis and Robin.

"And who might you two be?"

Lewis's grin stiffened as he repeated exactly what he told Sumia. Maribelle frowned as she crossed her arms and glowered at Lewis. "I do not like being taken for a fool, especially by a baseborn such as yourself. What even is an outrealmer anyway?"

Holding his tongue in check, Lewis stretched out his smile even further. "Someone who has come from another world. Perhaps Lissa or even Robin could fill you in on the details."

"Big claims. Can you back them up?" Lewis sighed as he once more took out his phone and passed it around. Cue more gasps and widened eyes as they inspected the piece of technology. The battery was now 25 percent. It was not going to last much longer. Soon he will be unable to back up his claims, but by then he wouldn't worry too much.

"I-I see. However, you could have stolen that piece of technology and claim it as yours."

"If it was stolen, then how would I have been able to operate it so flawlessly?" Maribelle closed her mouth as she realized she had no comeback.

"I understand." Lewis gave a way out for Maribelle. "I too would be suspicious of someone with such a claim." Maribelle nodded as she then turned to Robin. "And you?"

"Robin. Potential new tactician."

"Is that so?"

"Not just any tactician! She is capable of using the lost tactician arts like telepathy!" Maribelle's eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Robin in a new light. Lewis frowned. He really needed to know more about this.

"May I ask about what these lost tactician arts are like? We don't have them in my world, and I never read about them in those stories."

Robin shrugged as she explained what she could do. "I can see the battlefield differently. First, I can see the field from a bird's eye point of view giving me a clear picture of what is happening. Second, I can see these numbers that help me predict an opponent's strengths and weaknesses. Third, I am capable of limited telepathy so I can give directions to soldiers from the other side of the battle with little difficulty."

Lewis's mouth dropped as he facepalmed. Those skills sounded very similar to what the game was like. "Oh. _Those_ are the lost tactician arts? I thought they were exaggerations. I didn't think they were real. I can see why Chrom was so desperate to hire you. Those skillsets must be invaluable in this time period, but why did you risk letting Chrom know? Surely you know what would happen to you if Chrom wasn't well... Chrom."

"I know," Robin interrupted. "But I didn't have much of a choice then. We were going to be surrounded, and I would much rather _not_ be in the clutches of bandits. It was a calculated risk."

"One that I thank you for making. I shudder to think what would have happened if you weren't there," Maribelle gave a small nod of thanks to Robin.

"Me too. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if something happened to Chrom. It would make me feel much better about everyone's safety if you stuck around." Sumia muttered with fidgeting.

"Hah! You may be able to do all that, but can you do this?" Vaike, not wanting to be outdone by the recruits, let out a room-shaking burp. Lewis gagged as some sort of onion odor started to fill up the room. If it was a burp, he could handle it, but the smell completely caught him off guard.

Robin's eyes twitched before she gave a shaky smile. "No. I'm sure I have much to learn in the belching arts, Teach." She saw Lewis snicker as she realized that he subtly positioned her as close to Vaike as possible when she first met Vaike. That asshole.

"Ugh, Vaike! That was abhorrent! Must you baseborn oafs pollute the air with your buffoonery? And you, Robin! Don't encourage him! I had hoped you were cut from finer cloth. Hmmph!" With that, she stormed off not seeing Lewis cough in amusement at the last sentence. Robin, however, noticed, and she gave Lewis the death stare. Lewis promptly feigned ignorance.

"Don't take it to heart Robin. She just warms up to people slowly." Sumia said.

"Or burns too quickly!" Lissa chuckled along with Lewis before continuing. She figured out what Lewis had planned as well. "But yeah. Just give her time."

Chrom took that moment to walk in. Seeing Chrom, Sumia got all flustered and promptly fell on her face once more. She quickly got up all blushing. Lewis tuned out the rest of the conversation as he thought about what he needed to do. First, he needed to eat. Their breakfast was little more than stale bread and some water. Second, he needed to find a blacksmith. Preferably an experienced blacksmith so that he could see if it was possible to replicate his Springfield. It shouldn't be that hard since he had a model for the blacksmith to use. Lewis also had some idea of how muskets were made back then. He knew that rifling was carved using the sin-bar machine one by one. It was extremely time consuming but without a steam engine, it was the only one available. Third, he wanted to clean his gun.

"The bad news is that the nobles are completely ignorant of the bandit threats and are content on sitting on their asses while the villagers are suffering. Emmeryn is trying to get the lords to send out some knights on patrols, but none of them really care as long as their own money and lives are safe. Things are only going to be tougher on the Shepherds from now on because this means that it will be up to us to go on more frequent patrols to pick up the slack. I'll give a more formal announcement with more information tomorrow morning." Lewis frowned. Wait. Why aren't they going to Ragna Ferox for help?

"Wait. What about Ragna Ferox? This is the perfect time to go ask them for help. If Ylisse doesn't have a military, we just need to go ask for some help from a country that does! We could hire them as mercenaries or something. Didn't Emmeryn or someone bring it up as a possibility?"

"How did you know that Emmeryn was considering... Oh yeah right. We really need to have that talk soon about what you know. Sadly, the nobles wouldn't hear of allying with the barbarians to the north. They would consider it beneath them to ally with them for something as 'trivial' as this. Those damn bastards." Lewis bit his lips as he realized the changes from the 'good' timeline. No risen meant no alliance until it was far too late. However, Lewis needed the Shepherds to go to Ragna Ferox and secure an alliance with the Flavia.

"Chrom," Lewis spoke with as much seriousness as he could muster. Realizing the tone, Chrom gave Lewis his full attention. "I know the future, and getting an alliance with Ferox is imperative. I'm sure you have your suspicion that the bandits were plegian. You are right. Mad King Grangel have been sending them in an attempt to weaken Ylisse and provoke them into a war."

Everyone's eyes widened as Lewis talked of the possibility of a second Ylissean-Plegian War restarting. Lewis continued "That's right. Plegia is going to declare war on Ylisse soon. That's why we need that alliance. It would provide us with a buffer. We also need to go to Ragna Ferox as soon as possible so that we don't miss the tournament between the two Khans."

Robin's eyes widened in understanding as she began following Lewis's line of thought. "If we help one of the khans get into power, they will allow Ylisse a debt that we can use if Gangrel does decide to restart a war. However, we still have some time before the tournament."

"Wait. Seriously? When is it?" Lewis was sure that there wasn't much time until the tournament if the game was correct.

"Spring of next year. During the Harpstring moon when the snow first starts melting." _The hell is a Harpstring moon?_

"Really? Huh... It seems time is a bit different from what I know." Interesting. Then again, the timing in the game was a bit wonky with how Chrom's group could teleport all across the map and recruit the future children without any sense of time or reason. Lewis glanced at Chrom, and he noticed how tense Chrom looked. He stared at the nearest wall as if it murdered his favorite dog. He then turned back to Lewis.

"We're going to have that discussion _now_. C'mon. Let's go back to the castle. I want you to tell Emmeryn everything you know."

"The sooner the better. But first, is there anywhere I can place this box. I don't feel like carrying it around." Lissa offered to take it up to Lewis's room. After handing it off, Lewis followed Chrom who was marching straight back with a determined gaze and steps. The walk was silent since Lewis didn't want to bother a fuming Chrom. That was the job of Chrom's future wife or a Lewis who had a deeper knowledge of Chrom's personality and quirks.

Once they were at the audience room, Chrom burst into a room where Emmeryn was having a discussion with someone who Lewis assumed to be Phila and another individual that Lewis had no idea of. "Emmeryn you need to hear this."

Noticing Chrom's state, Emmeryn whispered an apology to the man who gave a small bow and disappeared down the hallway. Once the door to the audience room closed once more, Emmeryn spoke up. "What is so important that you had to interrupt a discussion with the Lord Dwyer?"

Chrom turned to Lewis in response. "Tell my sister what you told me."

Lewis in response coughed into his hand. "This is highly sensitive information. Can we go somewhere where there are no eavesdroppers... Your majesty?" Lewis added on the last bit when he noticed the glare he got from Phila.

Emmeryn nodded. "We can go to the royal garden. Nobody enters or leaves without me knowing about it."

"Thank you, your majesty." Emmeryn chuckled with amusement.

"Lewis. In Ylisse, it is your Exalt." Lewis coughed before bowing his head as an apology.

"It is alright for you had no way of knowing anyway. If anything, Chrom should have told you, but it seems he was too busy amusing himself at your expense." Emmeryn gave a sharp glare at Chrom who looked somewhere else and began whistling.

Eventually, they arrived at the gardens, and they sat down on a table underneath some type of tree. Emmeryn sat down at the head while Lewis and Chrom sat on the opposite end. Phila stood behind Emmeryn some distance away looking out for any intruders.

"Now, what was so important?"

Lewis took a deep breath. Now was the time of truth to see if they would buy his story. "First, I would like to explain a bit about how I know what I know. Like I said before, in my world, there exists a machine created by an unknown mad genius. I do not know much about the machine only that it writes stories about worlds in the outrealms. As they are good entertainment, we have access to the stories, and I have read a story that talked about the lands of Ylisse, Plegia, Ragna Ferox, and Valm. It wasn't very detailed, though so I only know of major events." Lewis paused as he waited for any questions or concerns, but only a gesture to continue came from Emmeryn.

"The story was mainly about Chrom and his adventures with the Shepherds. As a result of the story, I have knowledge of what Chrom will achieve and what will occur in this world as a result. The most urgent event that will occur is an outbreak of war between Ylisse and Plegia that will occur very soon. I sadly do not know the exact date of war, but it will occur." Emmeryn took in a deep breath and seemed to visibly age five years. She closed her eyes and stood still until she opened her eyes with a terrifying focus on Lewis.

"Tell me everything."

"Wait. You just believe me about this? I thought I would have to convince you of the knowledge I hold."

"I want to accuse you of lying. I truly do. However, I pride myself on knowing when others lie. It is because of this skill of mine that I was able to avoid becoming a mere puppet on the throne. So far, minus the part about the machine, you are not lying about knowing the future."

Lewis's face froze at that statement. "Oh... Uh... Well, that makes things easier. The machine thing is just an easier explanation for it. The actual explanation is much more complicated and not knowing it will have no consequences."

"Lewis. I already assumed that to be the case. Please go back to speaking about the war." Lewis felt like crying as he realized that he once more underestimated the intelligence of a fire emblem character.

"Okay. First, I want to talk about why Plegia wants to restart a war. The main reason is vengeance for the previous Exalt's crusade. He wants nothing more than to bleed Ylisse dry for their crimes. He has gone mad for such goals; thus, his nickname as the Mad King. In fact, many of Ylisse's bandit problems can be traced back to him. He wants to weaken Ylisse before he launches an all-out war." Emmeryn grimaced as she was once more forced into a situation where she had to pick up pieces of her father's shattered legacy.

"To make things worse, the Grimleal have started to move to resurrect Grima. For this goal, they have also been pushing from the shadows for war because they want to get their hands on the fire emblem. After all, the weapon that killed Grima can also be used to speed up its revival, no?" The looks that everyone including Phila was giving him was worrying. Everything ranging from disbelief to concern was going through their expression in rapid succession... except Emmeryn. She had an amazing poker face according to Lewis.

Lewis pushed onwards. "There is more, but for now, I believe we should stop here. I'm afraid of changing too much too soon and obtaining a worse outcome. I don't know how fragile timelines are nor do I want to test them till the breaking point. However, I would like to make a recommendation to go to Ragna Ferox to seek an alliance. I understand that you have been meeting some opposition to it; however, I believe that with some politicking, it should be possible. I would like to note that there is a time frame for this. Robin will be best able to explain this because I do not know the details, but from what I know, in a couple of moons, the khans will be holding a tournament to decide the reigning khan. If we help in placing a khan into power, that khan will be indebted to us making it easier for a military alliance. That is all for now."

Emmeryn took in Lewis's words and took a deep breath. "It seems we will have much to talk about in the future. I thank you for bringing this to my attention. You must be tired from such a long trip. Have some rest. You have well earned it. Tomorrow, you will have your recommendations and access to our library."

"Thank you, your Exalt. Am I dismissed?"

"Yes." Lewis walked out as fast as he could. The tension was so thick he was having some difficulty breathing.

After Lewis was gone, Phila expressed her concerns. "Your Exalt. Do you truly believe that boy?"

"I have my doubts, but they would be mere excuses by this point. Our scouts have already sent reports giving their suspicions of the bandits originating from Plegia. Merchants from Plegia have spread rumors of forced conscription in Plegian villages. Last of all, what does he have to gain from lying?"

"Restarting a war with us as the aggressors? A potential spy? A scam?"

"Then, there was a far better way he could have approached this. Why make a pretense as an outrealmer something no one but the most avid reader of legends wouldn't have heard of? Why go through the headache of saying he has knowledge of the future which can be quite easily disputed with time. If this was a cover story, he would have made a horrible spy. Second, if this was a scam, why would he try and join the Shepherds as a combatant, not as a secretary where he could pilfer as much gold as he could? As for trying to restart a war, he has merely advocated self-defense so far. For now, we believe him. Keep a close eye on him. Nothing more. How I wish he was merely lying. It would make things so much easier."

Phila remained quiet as Emmeryn looked up into the sky, and tears pooling in her eyes. "Phila. What have I been doing with my life? I've tried so hard to maintain this peace, but no matter what I do, it seems to slip away. I feel like a worthless Exalt."

Chrom stood up with a loud bang. "That's not true Emmeryn! You've done more for our country than any of your predecessors. It is because of you that Ylisse still exists. If it wasn't for you, Ylisse would be experiencing a civil war by now. You could say that it was because of you people were able to experience peace even if it was for a short while."

"Thank you, Chrom. Do you mind checking up on Lissa?" Realizing Emmeryn's implied meaning, he gave his sister a sharp squeeze and headed out.

Once Chrom too was gone, Emmeryn propped her elbows on the table and began cradling on her head. "Phila. If it wasn't for Chrom and Lissa, I would have jumped from the castle walls a long time ago."

Remembering the Exalt's attempted suicide during the early years of her reign, Phila frowned in displeasure. "If war breaks out once more... After the war is over, I want to step down. I can't. I just can't deal with this any longer, but when I think about what Chrom or Lissa would end up going through because of my selfishness... I am tired Phila... so tired."

Phila watched in silence as Emmeryn began crying silently. "Your Exalt. Please understand that you are not alone. We are all here to help you. Please do not forget that."

The only answer was silence.

Meanwhile, Lewis was back at his room cleaning his rifle with some warm water that was leftover from his bath. If he could even call it a bath because it was more of a dip in a basin of lukewarm water. There was no soap and no shampoo at all. Lewis quickly clamped down on his complaints and buried it as far as possible. He couldn't afford to have a nervous breakdown. He needed to keep busy.

As he began washing out the barrel, he heard somone knock on his door. "Come in."

Lewis wasn't even surprised when it was Robin who entered. "So what do you want to talk about?"

"I want to know what you know about me, and what you plan on doing about it."

"Straight to the point hmm?"

"I know that if I didn't go straight to the point, you would be spinning circles around it by spewing all sorts of bullshit." Lewis shrugged. He wasn't second in the debate team for nothing. He did have a nickname as the Fillibuster. Once more Lewis tried to think of any other thoughts than remind himself of his old world.

"You know me so well in such a short amount of time."

"It's my job. Alright enough with the chit chat and tell me already."

Lewis began wiping his barrel down with some cotton rags. "Why are you so desperate anyway? I promised that I wouldn't say anything."

"I haven't survived for this long by blindingly trusting people." Robin snapped back.

"You promise you won't kill me?"

"Depends."

"That's a whole lot of comfort," Lewis snapped back as he realized that Robin just happened to come talk to him when his weapon was all disassembled. Thankfully, the bayonet wasn't too far from leaping distance if it came to it.

"You won't make it." Robin subtly implied by putting her hand under her coat.

"Seriously? This again?" This time Robin didn't even grace an answer instead opting to glare at Lewis.

"Fine. I know that you are the daughter of Validar."

"Anything else other than that piece of shit?"

"I know the significance of the mark on your hand. I won't say it here for obvious reasons. That's about it."

"I see. What is your opinion on the mark?"

Lewis shrugged. "Nothing much. You are your own person, and nothing anyone says can change that. I'm from an outrealm so I don't really give two duds about this whole feud. I just want to live."

"If you living meant killing me?"

Lewis knew what Robin was implying. "Again, if I wanted you dead, I would have sniped you back in Southtown. Nobody would know it was me while I slipped away. The fact that I let you live says an alternative."

"You mention an alternative. What is it?"

"Letting Chrom deal the finishing blow to Grima should it awaken if all goes well... It should be enough to put it to sleep for a couple of millennia so good enough for me. Satisfied?"

Robin didn't say anything for a good five minutes. In that time, Lewis carefully reassembled his gun. "There! All done."

The dinner bell rang just in time as well. "C'mon. Let's go eat."

"Why are you treating me like a human if you know the truth."

Lewis groaned as he glared at Robin. "If you look like a human, if you act like a human, if you laugh like a human, if you bleed like a human, you are a human in my eyes. Are we seriously doing this now?"

Robin's eyes widened before she returned a smile. "No. Let's go eat some dinner. I'm starving."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi. Enjoy. **

_3 weeks later_

Lewis woke up to the sound of paper being scattered everywhere and someone cursing, a lot of cursing to be exact. After running his hands down his face to wipe the drowsiness from his face, he looked outside to see the darkness of night giving way to the first rays of sunlight. Wearily, he looked at his doorway to see Miriel patiently waiting by the doorstep and Robin who was on the floor covered in paper.

"What? How can you live like this? And Chrom complains of how much paper is in _my _room!" Robin snapped as she brushed off the sheets of paper.

"Hey, careful! Those are prototypes of the new periodic table of elements that I am working on with Maester Zeff!" Lewis snapped as he jumped off his bed.

Miriel took the moment to lift a piece of paper and examined it carefully. "An interesting method of organizing them. Atomic numbers and mass?"

"It has to do with that concept of atoms. I've been trying to recalculate molar mass and such, but it is quite tedious. Also, my paper on that subject is almost done. I plan on a presentation a week from now." Lewis held out his hand for the paper.

Miriel handed back the paper as she began recounting her discussions with Lewis during the last two weeks. "Yes, the theory you proposed that all matter is made up of charged particles called atoms which are in turn made of protons, neutrons, and electrons. They, in turn, create larger objects through this electromagnetic force, strong force, and weak force. Yet, you still haven't been able to find an explanation for.."

Suddenly, Robin stood up and yelled, "Stop! Just stop! Not when I am here. I don't want another headache this early!"

Lewis smirked at Robin, "Okay."

"You get that disgusting smirk off your face or I am making your first mission with us hell." Lewis immediately removed his demeaning smile at Robin's words. She would do it, no questions asked.

"So nothings changed right?" Lewis desperately tried to switch the topic.

Robin shook her head as she began reminding herself of their current mission. "Nothing. We are going to Thetford to take care of some highwaymen that took advantage of the lower presence of pegasus knights. You, Lissa, Stahl, Vaike, and I are going on this trip."

Lewis frowned at the last sentence. "Wait... That's not what we agreed on. It was supposed to be..."

"I know..." Robin grumbled in annoyance. "But Lissa was feeling cooped up in the castle and blackmailed me into putting her in the group, and I can't let Virion be the team leader in that case or Chrom would chew me out. So I had to switch me and Virion. He's going to be leading Sully's team."

"It's nice to have a healer, but damn it." He and the boys were supposed to go brothel hopping after taking out the bandits, but with Robin leading instead of Virion, that plan flew out the window. Since he was part of the Shepherds, he couldn't very well visit brothels in the city of his employer so he was looking forward to going someplace else, but that plan flew out the window.

"What? You have something against me being team leader?" Crud. Lewis hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"Nope. Nope. I am perfectly happy. I just _wonder_ why you could _possibly_ think that I have reservations about you being our team leader. Perhaps it has to do with you shocking me three days ago to get the last slice of pizza?"

Robin snorted. "It was all fair game."

"Robin. My dear friend. Fair is not throwing lightning around like Darth Sidious."

"You didn't say anything about it in the rules." Robin assumed Darth Sidious was a villain, and Robin was not going to ask Lewis for anything at the moment, even a clarification of his strange allusions.

"Which is why you had no right to complain when I gave you a mud bath. Perhaps you would like another one?" Lewis made a motion of reaching behind his desk as if to take out a bucket of something.

Robin eyed Lewis suspiciously before storming out not wishing to test his bluff. Miriel watched Robin storm out before turning her attention back to Lewis. "Must you antagonize her so?"

Lewis merely shrugged as Miriel wouldn't understand the shits and giggles that came with word sparring. Besides, Robin was the one who started it, and Lewis was going to return whatever Robin threw at him a hundred-fold. Lewis held a philosophy of treating his friends like they treat him. If they treated him with respect, he would return that respect. If they treated him with sarcasm, he would return sarcasm. However, Lewis didn't feel like getting into a social discussion with Miriel first thing in the morning.

"And what are you doing here Miriel?" Lewis deflected.

"I've come to give you these," Realizing she won't get an answer, Miriel handed Lewis a box before continuing, "and I have come to pick up your suggestions of improvements for the steam engine. I also have a letter of thanks from the Hierarch concerning your donation of a printing press. He gives his thanks for providing the church with a machine that will make it easier to spread Naga's teaching to the masses."

Lewis tried his best not to cringe at being praised by a traitor. So far, only the royal family knew about the betrayal, and they were working hard to find evidence of his crimes behind the scenes. Until then, nobody else could know. As for why he gave one to the church for free? They were the best equipped to send missionaries to the population and teach them how to read. That was his condition to give the machine to the church for free whereas he sold one to Guild maester Aurus, head of the merchants, for a large sum of money. Lewis read through the scriptures, and Naga's teachings weren't horrible in his opinion. It was quite similar to the Bible. "Thanks. Anything else you need?"

"Guild master Ferrum wants to have a talk with you about the massive blast furnace after your mission. He wants your input on the prototype they built. He also wanted to say that your advice of mixing the rocks you call coal with the molten iron produced a higher quality iron as you said." Lewis nodded as he gave Miriel the revised blueprints she came for.

"Thanks for helping me with all this."

"No, thank you for informing me of the scientific process. You truly have no idea how much of a relief it is to possess a method of gaining a deeper understanding of my observations of the natural world. If you need assistance in anything, please do not hesitate to ask." Lewis merely nodded as he bade Miriel goodbye.

Lewis unwrapped his package to reveal two pistols. They were the pistol versions of the Springfield minus the rifling. Realizing his need for a backup weapon for close combat that wasn't his Springfield and sword, Lewis commissioned the royal blacksmith to make him a pistol using the Springfield as his base. The blacksmith locked himself in the room for over four days pouring over Lewis's rifle before coming out and replying it could be done. After Lewis proofed the barrels a week ago, these two beauties were the result. The blacksmith was even kind enough to add in two holsters.

Ylissean metallurgy wasn't as behind as he thought. They were already on the cusps of multiple breakthroughs, but the lack of incentive as well as the over-reliance on magic was holding everyone back. As a result, Lewis was able to utilize his knowledge that he gained about the Industrial Revolution during his school trip to the United Kingdom to great effect in Ylisse.

After grabbing his pre-packed bags and his Springfield, Lewis went out to the meeting place for his very first mission. In a way, Lewis was excited. It showed that the fruits of his hellish training were finally beginning to show if Frederick gave him the green light. Lewis grimaced as memories of Frederick's fanatical fitness hours came to him.

_'You call those pushups! I want to see REAL pushups!' Frederick yelled as he put his foot down on Lewis's back and pressed down._

_'You better run faster boy or Daisy here will bring you for one hell of a ride!' Frederick tied Lewis to the back of his horse. The only problem was that Lewis wasn't on the horse. _

_'Dodge! Dodge like your life depends on it!' Lewis desperately tried to survive the sparring ring as Frederick chased him around the training grounds with a wooden spear._

_'Fight you fool! Show these dogs who's the master!' Frederick yelled as he unleashed four dogs that were deliberately starved on Lewis who was covered in steak with no weapons... in the middle of a field with no tree in sight. He almost died that day._

Lewis shuddered. Lewis did consider if Frederick wasn't just trying to kill him, but when he saw that Frederick was doing the same to all-male recruits, he felt better. In all honesty, if it wasn't for magic being able to heal his muscles much faster than normal, Lewis would not be walking out of the training without some permanent muscle damage. He now understood why Fire emblem characters were capable of such flashy moves. Healing magic allowed for far more brutal training, and Lewis was sure that magic was changing the way muscles were forming. His muscles didn't feel the same for they felt harder than before. Heck, Lewis wasn't sure he had muscles when he first felt his arms. He thought they were replaced by some prosthetics at first with how metallic they were beginning to feel.

On the topic of magic, Lewis finally found out why technology was so inconsistent in the Fire Emblem worlds. The culprit was magic. Due to magic and the existence of flying beasts, there was no incentive to progress technologically. Magic also made it far easier to regress due to how easy it was to monopolize production processes.

Magic wasn't something that could be easily taught or replicated for it was more of innate talent. As a result, any deaths or assassinations of important mage engineers can have huge ripple effects across the world. For example, one hundred years ago there was a mage family that produced self-writing quills. These quills were able to write without a human as long as one supplied spirit dust to the item. As a result, they effectively functioned as the printing presses of the time. However, the mages maintained a tight monopoly on the production process, and magic was not something that could be easily reverse-engineered.

After a couple of political spats, assassins were sent after the family and everyone was killed. With the entire family killed or driven to hiding, the world has lost its only producer of self-writing quills and once more the world's technological state regressed as the quills began breaking down from the march of time. The world once again lost its ability to mass-produce written texts.

After learning this story, Lewis bashed his head against the desk much to the surprise of Lissa who took it upon herself to teach Lewis how to read their written language. He soon realized that the incredible tasks he had in front of him. No wonder this world was constantly getting their ass kicked to the stone age by world-shattering events. No WONDER they couldn't develop effective countermeasures for Grima and was forced to rely on Naga despite having so much time on their hands. Forget technological advances as Lewis had initially planned, what this world needed was massive political and social reforms. This world needed someone to introduce the concepts of patents, copyright, and Napoleonic laws AND TO STOP F*CKING RELYING ON ASSASSINATIONS AND DUELS TO RESOLVE EVERY SINGLE SPAT. If he was to enforce these reforms, Lewis was going to need more political and social power...

This was why he still stuck with the Shepherds instead of quitting to take GUild master Aurum's request to become his apprentice. He knew how primitive this world was. Despite Ylisse being a nation of 'peace', the people still viewed military achievements highly. As a result, Lewis planned on building a power base domestically through his contributions to technology as well as militarily through the Shepherds.

Thankfully, he had the ability to fight at range so the danger he was in was extremely low. That being said, he still despised one aspect of military life. The marching. "Are we there yet?"

"Shut up Lewis," Robin growled back. Lewis merely shrugged before he went back to trying to read _Hours of Magic: The Origin of Elemental Mages_. With how important magic was to the scholarly field in current times, Lewis had to be able to converse with other scholars on the topic of magic.

From what little he could understand, the Fire Emblem tomes were merely catalysts for the spells. Attempting to use magic without a tome takes far too long or requires a higher magic reserve. The only difference between tomes and chemical catalysts was that tomes were consumed after the reaction.

Lewis tried to get more information on mana or the production process of tomes, but such information was either extremely vague or under a strict monopoly. _Mana was a byproduct of a person's soul, and magic was the application of willpower on one's mana._ As if that explained anything! What was the energy state of the soul? How could mana be converted to other forms of energy? What even counted as willpower! At this point, Lewis was content on describing magic as the greatest bullshit to be ever gifted to man.

Lewis could feel a headache every time he tried to apply scientific thinking into the world of magic. It just didn't work. Then again, Lewis's body wasn't able to use magic for he lacked a magical reserve according to Miriel. His soul wasn't producing mana like other humans. Miriel described his magical reserves as having atrophied into oblivion. In a way, it made sense. If Earth's legends had a hint of truth to them, Earth's humans were once capable of magic; however, it seems as if Earth's humans lost their ability to use it which was probably a blessing in disguise after seeing how much magic was holding humanity back in the world of fire emblem. Sadly, at this point, Lewis was just making up excuses for being unable to cast magic. Even he as a child wished to throw fireballs with impunity. Grumbling with annoyance, Lewis put away his book.

"So, did you bring some of your hamburgers?" Stahl's words snapped Lewis out of his brooding.

Lewis smiled broadly as he patted the back of his pack. "I made sure to bring the patties, vegetables, and seasoning. We are going to have to hunt for the meat though."

"That's great! I can just taste the burgers soon." Stahl's mouth hung open, and some drool began leaking out of the sides.

"Stahl. You're drooling."

"Oh crap!" Stahl quickly wiped off his drool.

"It's alright." Lewis laughed at Stahl's embarrassed expression. "I'm really happy that you enjoy my world's cooking. Also, I appreciate your help in recreating my world's foods."

"It's my pleasure to help! It's always fun to experiment with new foods. Especially tasty foods like that pizza you made. Oh! Before I forget, you mentioned how pizza can have multiple toppings correct?"

"Yeah! You can add peppers, pepperoni, little meat sausages, and mushrooms! The possibilities are endless!" Lewis emphasized as he began looking forward to cooking pizza once he arrived back to Ylisstol. Perhaps it was time to move on from simple cheese pizza and start experimenting.

"That's great! I managed to snag this fruit from a traveling merchant the other day. What do you think about using this as a topping?" Stahl rummaged around his pack before pulling out a pineapple. Lewis's smile froze on his face.

Sthal, ignorant of the expression Lewis was making, continued. "I tried one, and it was cool and sweet with a hint of sour. I think it would make a great... Lewis. Are you alright?"

Lewis glared at Stahl for even thinking off using _pineapple_ as a possible pizza topping. He summed up what he wanted to rant with a simple, "No. Just no."

"But..."

"Stahl. Sweet and sour fruits don't belong in a pizza."

"Well, I think you are wrong. The mixture of sour pineapple with the cheese and tomato will go heavenly together."

Lewis decided then and there Stahl was in need of some education on pizza etiquette. There was no way he was allowing a pineapple pizza lover to be born in Ylisse. He had enough friends who were pineapple pizza lovers, and he would be damned if another was formed in this world as well. His friends... Lewis's rant died in his mouth as a sinking feeling welled in his chest.

"J-Just do whatever you want."

"Are you alright Lewis?"

"Yes." Lewis found another reason for hating marches. Besides his aching feet, he was no longer keeping himself busy. When he was no longer keeping himself busy, unwanted feelings started welling up. Doubts, fears, nostalgia...

"Do you need to sit down for a bit? I can make some room on my horse if you need to."

"And let you carry all that stuff. I don't want to be a burden."

"Nonsense. You're a friend, not a burden." Stahl began moving bags off of his horse onto his shoulders.

Lewis quickly put a hand on Stahl's shoulders and stopped him. "It's alright. I was just feeling homesick all of a sudden."

"I see. I know what you mean. There are times when I want to go back to the little shop and see my pa and ma again."

"At least you _can _go back," Lewis grumbled.

Stahl cringed as he replayed the conversation in his head. "Sorry, that didn't come out as intended."

Lewis just shook his head before walking ahead. "It's fine. It's been good talking to you."

Stahl watched Lewis rush ahead with sadness. Lissa silently appeared beside Stahl. "He's doing it again, huh?"

In the past week, Lewis has been interacting less and been busy with all sorts of work and meetings. If he wasn't training, he was meeting with the guild masters or maesters in the university, or he was locked in his room writing papers on new revolutionary scientific theories that had the universities in an uproar. Everyone had been trying to get him out of his slump to no avail; thus, Robin decided on a plan to change up his schedule with something new. Normally, Frederick wanted to give Lewis four weeks of training, but Robin convinced Frederick to give his seal of approval a week earlier by emphasizing that Lewis was a longer-ranged unit who will not face much close combat.

"Yeah, but he's been a lot more talkative than before. I think this mission has been doing a lot of good for him so far. He looks more energetic, wouldn't you say?" Lissa considered Stahl's words with a couple of glances at Lewis.

"Yeah. You're right. That's good. Robin's plans always seem to work."

"Is that jealousy I hear?" Lissa pouted as she turned her head to face the other way.

"No... It's just... I'm royalty, you know that, right?"

"Yeah."

"And I haven't really been doing royalty things. Emmeryn's busy trying to maintain peace and making sure everyone can have a smile on their face, Chrom's busy trying to protect that smile by founding the Shepherds which he supports with his own money, and then there is me who haven't done anything."

"Well, I beg to differ. You've been a real big help for those at the temple."

"But the work I do there isn't... I don't know... unique? Someone else can replace me with hardly a sweat. It's not like I'm the best healer..."

"I think you're being too hard on yourself. Sometimes, Lissa, it's the little things that matter. You may not think too highly of yourself for working there, but to all those people who are too poor to afford a proper doctor or medicine, you are everything to them. Just make your mark one step at a time."

"Wow. Those are some deep words there."

"They're not mine. My grandpa told it to me when I was still working in the apothecary. It was when I was starting to get lazy with brewing the potions."

"Either way, thanks for telling me that... But those feelings return every time I look at Lewis and Robin. Like look at them. They aren't even Ylissean, but in just three weeks, Lewis has been making connections with all those big shots, and I just know he is planning something really big while Robin has been invaluable in planning more effective patrol routes for our smaller army."

"I should remind you that Lewis is an outrealmer, and Robin is someone capable of the tactician arts. Hardly grounds for comparison." Stahl patted Lissa's shoulder to straighten out her back.

"Yeah... By the way, I've heard hamburgers for lunch?" Lissa asked, desperate to change the subject.

"Yup! Lewis got everything, but the meat."

"Yes!" Lissa gave a small jump in excitement. Suddenly, Lissa got a small coy smile as she edged up to Stahl and gave him the 'puppy face.' "May I have half of your burger?"

"Uh... Sure?" Stahl spluttered out with a look of extreme disappointment. At those words, Lissa's expression darkened as she bonked Stahl with her staff.

"Ow! What was that for!?"

Lissa sneered as she grabbed Stahl's collar and yanked him closer. "What did I tell you about being too nice! Learn to say no or people will just take advantage of you!"

"But, I just want to be helpful..."

"There's being helpful, and there's being a slave! Now chin up and we're doing this again." While Lissa was lecturing Stahl about his inability to refuse someone's plea, Lewis was busy trying to brainstorm the flintlock mechanism. Lewis currently ran into problems with recreating the priming caps so he decided the best way to 'modernize' Ylisse's military was with the flintlock muskets.

While he was busy drawing out the changes between the flintlock and the caplock mechanisms, Vaike sneaked up behind Lewis and grabbed him for a headlock. "Put away that piece of paper. We're outside! Breath a little!"

"You would never say that to Miriel's face."

Vaike paled as he laughed nervously. "The Teach may be brave, but he ain't got a death wish."

"I beg to differ. The bar fight ten days ago was pretty..."

"Shhh! Not with Robin here!" Lewis glanced at Robin's direction before whispering back his confusion.

"Why?"

"She's still super pissed that we went drinking without her."

"I don't see what's the point then? We've gone drinking..."

"I then footed the bill to the Shepherds. Considering how Chrom put her in charge of our finances..."

"You crazy son of a bitch. You _know _how much Robin hates it when we use Shepherd's finances for our night outs. Why the hell did you do that when we already set aside money..." Lewis hissed back. Now he understood why Robin was more pissy than usual the next day. Lewis thought it was because it was her time of the month, but it was because of Vaike.

"I know!" Vaike interrupted. "But I drank too much, and it turns out I ended up telling the barkeeper to bill the Shepherds instead of putting it on our tab."

Lewis groaned as he remembered that Vaike had taken a chair to the face that night. It would make sense that Vaike wasn't thinking clearly. Hell, none of them were. For crying out loud, Lewis woke up in the ditch next to some random house where he had to help Virion flee through the window of some girl's bedroom. Then, the husband of that girl came barreling out of the front door with a shovel. Lewis tried to calm the situation, but he ended up puking on the man instead so he was forced to run cross country with a half-naked Virion through the wheat fields of Ylisstol. To top it all off, they had to help Chrom get down from some abandoned barn's roof.

Chrom doesn't remember how he got there, but Lewis could after drinking some tea. It was a bet that he couldn't wrestle a pegasus with his bare hands. The pegasus freaked out over a blue-haired drunk trying to give it a nice hug so it burst out of its stables out into the night sky with Chrom still on top of it. Lewi didn't say anything though because the bet was actually Lewis's idea, and Lewis preferred not letting Frederick get an idea of exactly how his liege got stuck on the roof of a rickety old building.

"Anyway, I just wanted to say that you should take a break."

Lewis gave an exasperated sigh. "We are going to go take out a bandit problem. This is far from an ideal position to take a break."

"Hey, if we ain't fighting or training, it's a break in my eyes."

"Of course, you would think that." Lewis snarked back.

"I'm just trying to say take it easy until we actually get there. This is the most relaxed I've seen you been this entire week." Lewis nodded as he gave Vaike a thumbs up.

"Thanks. I'll bear it in mind." Vaike returned the thumbs-up with a fist bump. It was a misunderstanding that Lewis never fixed because he was too lazy to properly explain the 'thumbs up' to him.

"By the way, it sucks that Robin and Lissa decided to tag along, doesn't it?" Lewis returned an understanding smirk.

"Oh yeah, I was looking forward to it."

"Hey, who says we can't still go?" Lewis looked at Vaike as if he grew a second head.

"You've got balls Vaike. I'll give you that. Alright, what's the plan?" Lewis and Vaike spent the next ten minutes hashing out a way to sneak out of the inn without Robin or Lissa noticing. When Vaike crept away to where Stahl was, Lewis saw Robin take Vaike's place.

"So, what were you guys planning?" Lewis tried his best at the poker face.

"Nothing much. Just Vaike telling me to loosen up." Robin stared back with suspicion before rolling her eyes.

"Don't loosen up too much. I don't want to drag back a corpse."

"Robin. That's a given. I won't loosen up during battle."

Robin sighed as she revised what she meant. "I meant to keep your eyes out for any ambushes."

Lewis stared back with confusion. "This is hardly ambushing territory. There's no tall grass, and no trees to hide behind."

Robin rolled her eyes and pointed to the skies. "You should never underestimate the possibility of an ambush from the air."

Lewis sighed as he was once more reminded that these medieval people who were still using swords had flying mounts. "Yeah. I forgot about the pegasus and wyverns."

"And that's why you aren't the tactician~" Robin sang as she began skipping.

Lewis leveled an annoyed gaze at Robin. "You're still salty that I beat you at poker."

Robin glared back. "You didn't need that money. I needed it."

"To buy the _Ribbald Tales_ series?" Lewis returned with snark.

Robin growled back, "I don't want to hear that tone from someone who also bought it."

Lewis sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Look, if you want it that much, I'll give it to you. _Fifty Shades_ was a far better book and that says something."

"What's _F__ifty Shades?" _

"It's a book from my world that's similar, but the ribald parts are not as tame. You know, if I have time I'll probably make a killing if I published some proper... err... you know what I mean. Anyway! Once we get back come to my room, I'll give the series to you."

"Thanks! You've no idea how much I've been looking forward to reading it."

"Be prepared for some disappointment."

"Sumia liked it." Lewis coughed and began laughing at the memory. Sumia was as red as a tomato when Robin asked what she was reading. Sumia all but stammered out that it was a good book before she ran out of the room through the window.

"Yeah. Let's go with that."

Meanwhile, the other three members of the group were watching Lewis and Robin's interactions with intrigued expressions. Lissa was the first to speak up. "I am surprised at how easily they can switch tones like that at the drop of the hat."

Vaike laughed as he gave his opinion. "I think they would make a great married couple."

Stahl shook his head as he remembered some parts of Lewis's drunken rantings. "No way. You know how Lewis really feels about Robin."

Lissa's gossip sense began tingling as she turned toward Stahl. "Don't stop there. How does he really feel about Robin?"

Stahl shook his head as Vaike put a hand over his mouth to emphasize the secret. "Can't. When we drank that night, we men and a Sully swore an oath that whatever comes out of our drunken mouths stays silent no matter what."

"Oh, come on! Why do you guys have all the fun while I'm stuck at the castle learning wine etiquette!" Lissa kicked over a rock as she pouted.

"Ah don't be like that! How about this? The Teach will bring you to a tavern in Thetford after our bandit mission and all five of us can go drinking. What about it?" Vaike exclaimed.

"You really mean it!" Lissa began jumping up and down.

"You betcha!"

Stahl stared at Vaike in shock. _What are you doing! Chrom and Frederick are going to kill us if they find out we went to a tavern with Lissa! What about our plan! _Stahl communicated with his eyes.

_Don't worry! We can make sure that she only gets diluted stuff. I think it's more fun if we just go drinking with all five of us instead of us three sneaking out. _Vike reassured Stahl.

_What about Robin? She will never agree! _

_You underestimate the teach's powa!_

_We are so dead._


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi. Another update.**

With the sun setting, the group found a nice grove to camp in for it would take another day's march to arrive in Thetford. While Robin and Vaike went out to collect more firewood and water, Lissa and Lewis were in charge of preparing supper. Stahl was somewhere trying to hunt for some meat.

Since the preservation methods were still quite primitive, Lewis and Lissa didn't have much to work with. They had some fruits and roots that Stahl had foraged from earlier with the standard ration for travelers. In the end, Lewis and Lissa just decided to throw everything into some sort of mishmash soup.

"It has an interesting color at least? I thought you were supposed to be a better cook than this..."

Lewis looked at Lissa with a deadpan look. "I never learned to cook with these ingredients. I don't have flour, spices are too expensive for everyday use, the preservation methods result in these crappy jerkies, I don't know half of what these roots and fruits are, and I could probably bludgeon someone to death with this hardtack. I tried my best."

Lissa looked unconvinced as she once more stared at how purple the soup looked. "I can't believe the same guy who made those delicious pizzas and burgers made this abomination."

Lewis groaned as Lissa kept giving him grief about the soup. As Lissa was the princess, she herself didn't know how to cook. This was the best they could do with what they had at hand.

"Look. If it makes you feel better, I'll try and experiment with some cooking recipes so this disaster doesn't happen again." Lissa looked at Lewis with concern.

"Lewis..."

"What?"

"Don't push yourself too hard. Everyone is worried about you. Not even Miriel works as hard as you."

Lewis scoffed at Lissa's words. "Lissa, if Miriel had her way, she would lock herself in the lab for hours and hours only coming out to eat and sleep."

Lissa gave Lewis an exasperated look. "Miriel _enjoys_ research. She lives and breathes it. She is happiest when she is with her books and observations. Not only that, she, at the very least, takes breaks. She comes out for reasons that are NOT work-related, and she sleeps on her _bed. _You, on the other hand..."

Lewis interrupted Lissa before she could finish. "I know. However, what I am doing is necessary, and I consider it fulfilling to keep myself busy. I've been very productive so far."

"At the cost of your health."

"Staves exist here."

"Staves aren't a cure-all. There are some things that magic can't heal."

"Meh. I'll still manage. You are looking at someone who can go 40 hours without sleep with little difficulty ."

At this point, Lissa had it with Lewis's stubbornness. Before she could say something she would regret, Lissa bit her tongue and turned to the soup. However, she had to squeeze in the last word. "Staves can't heal stupidity for one thing."

Lewis pretended not to hear that and waved to Stahl, who was carrying three skinned rabbits, to try the soup. Stahl jogged over with high expectations only to be squashed at seeing the soup.

"What in Naga's name is this?"

"I tried my best at using ingredients I wasn't familiar with. You should try some." Lewis proudly stated.

Stahl stared at the soup before shrugging and tasting a spoonful. Immediately, his face grimaced as he started smacking his tongue to get a sense of what exactly he was tasting. It wasn't inedible, but the clash of the sour fruits and the bitter roots did not go smoothly together. Stahl groaned as he realized their blunder. It made sense that Lewis wouldn't be completely comfortable with a lot of their world's ingredients. He just assumed that Lewis knew how to cook from his previous works like the pizza and hamburgers.

"Well, it's still edible," Lewis snorted as he interrupted Stahl that he wouldn't have served it if it wasn't, "but when we get back, I am teaching you about the types of forageables that are available in Ylisse. You should have said something if you didn't know." Stahl crossed his arms in annoyance.

"I didn't know that I didn't know! When I went to the kitchens of Ylisse, I could recognize all the traditional stuff like flour and most of the farmed goods. I just assumed that the forageables will be something similar just a wilder version." Stahl just sighed once more as he began spitting the rabbits. As smart as Lewis could be, he was just as dumb at certain occasions. At least, he wasn't Sully's level. Stahl shuddered at the last time Sully was forced to cook. The entire Shepherds went through an entire crate of staves to fend off the onslaught of diarrhea and vomiting. She managed to even bring Frederick to his knees.

Shaking off the memory of that episode, Stahl turned his attention back to cooking the rabbits. Absentmindedly, Stahl dipped his hardtack into the soup and began munching away. His eyebrows raised as it was unexpectedly quite good. The flour seemed to counter the sourness allowing for a less conflicting aftertaste. Perhaps, this soup was still salvageable.

Stahl turned to Lewis and recommended serving the soup with the hardtack in it. Lewis shrugged and began throwing in crumbs of hardtack that he crushed with the help of Lissa's staff. After giving it a taste himself, Lewis nodded in approval and gave Stahl a thumbs up.

Once the rest of their group came back, they sat around the fire and began dining on Lewis's experiment that was barely saved by Stahl's intervention. Robin was a bit disappointed like Stahl, but she ate without giving Lewis too much grief. Vaike didn't care at all and consumed the soup without much of a second thought. His opinion was as long as it was better than Sully's food, it was good enough. Lissa was just happy that there was no bear meat anywhere.

"Hey, Vaike. Hand me the wine." Lewis tried to avoid drinking raw water if he could help it. Unless it was collected from rainwater or boiled, Lewis refused to drink it because he had no wish to get cholera or any other water-borne diseases. It turned out that magic-resistant pathogens existed in this world. Until Lewis could recreate the microscope and kickstart progression into more modern medicine like vaccines and water purification, Lewis was going to play it as safe as possible.

Overall, dinner ended without much fanfare. Robin merely gave everyone an outline of what they are to expect before they decided to turn in for the night.

Lewis won the first watch as the others got to sleep. The first or the last watch is the most preferable because any other shifts had the person waking up in the middle of the night and then attempting to go back to sleep after freaking out over every single hoot that was heard during the shift. It could make someone who was not used to watch duty very cranky in the morning.

Lewis couldn't help, but be fascinated at how many stars littered the night sky. It was humbling in many ways as it reminded him of the vastness of the world. However, more and more he was beginning to despise looking at the exotic night sky. He couldn't place just why, but failing to find the north star seemed to put Lewis in a foul mood these days.

A tap on his shoulders brought him out of his misery. Vaike sat down next to him and stared at the stars as well. "You should have woken the teach. It's time for my shift, you know?"

"Sorry. Just got my head up in the clouds."

"I know this is your first mission, but don't lose track of your mind like that when we fight, _especially_ when you go for the kill. Frederick lost too many recruits because they hesitated."

"Vaike. Although this is my first mission, this is hardly my first kill."

"Really? I thought you weren't a soldier in your world?"

"It was actually in this world. I had to save Lissa from a hostage situation. I shot the man's head off." Vaike nodded as he considered Lewis's words.

"Are you okay? First kills tend to be... messy for your mind."

"That's the thing Vaike. I am perfectly fine."

Vaike frowned before he looked at Lewis's gun and nodded in understanding. "Let me guess. You weren't in any danger, were you?"

Lewis shook his head. Vaike chuckled as he gave a playful punch. "Then, you really still are a greenhorn. That first kill doesn't count. To me, a first kill is getting up and close to the person, and watching the life drain away from the person's eyes. At first, you get a rush. You survived, but then it hits you like a brick. The blood, the eyes, the smell. It will never go away."

Lewis cringed as he contemplated Vaike's words. "It's a good thing that I can fight from a distance then."

"Let the Teach give you a fair bit of warning. Never get cocky like that. You have no idea how many mages and archers I've got the drop on because they assumed they were safe."

"I know that. That's why I've been training with the bayonet... and the shortsword." Frederick wasn't very happy with Lewis's insistence on training with the bayonet. His view on the rifle and bayonet combo was that it merely turned it into a glorified short spear that was too heavy and unwieldy compared to a proper spear. However, Lewis reminded Frederick that he was going to fill the role of an archer, and the bayonet was at most a last resort. Lewis also told Frederick that as someone who has never handled swords before reach was more important than fancy swordplay. In the end, Frederick allowed training with the bayonet as long as he kept a shortsword as a backup.

"That's good. Be sure to keep it up. That's right! Before I forget, I need to tell you something." Vaike recounted Lissa's problem, and Lewis nodded in agreement. It wasn't a bad plan, and it did give Lewis a chance to drink Robin under the table.

"What did Robin say?"

"I... haven't told her yet."

Lewis snorted in amusement. "I'll give my approval, but you convince Robin without my help."

"Easy enough." Lewis gave Vaike a glance filled with suspicion, but Vaike maintained his smile. Lewis shrugged, deciding it wasn't his problem.

"Well, I really should turn in now. Good night, Vaike." With that, Lewis went to his tent, snuggled up in his furs, and fell asleep. A sleep that was continuously disrupted by the rustling wildlife.

Breakfast was a disappointing meal of hardtacks and tea. Lewis still hadn't been able to get his hands on coffee. After waking up Lissa with a bucket of water, the group went on their jolly way to Thetford.

With the sun blazing in its afternoon glory, Thetford's cotton fields came into view. As Thetford was one of Ylisse's primary producer of fabrics, it came as no surprise for Lewis to see the massive cotton fields that filled the countryside. Workers could be seen picking the cotton and placing them in a basket that hung on their shoulders while mages could be seen in the empty fields reinvigorating the soil for the next harvest. Some of the pickers looked up and gave a wave to the passing Shepherds.

Thankfully, slavery was banned in Ylisse during Marth's reign. The only country in Archanea that still practiced slavery was Plegia for its gold mines that were owned by the Grimleal, but even then slavery was still heavily frowned upon and rarely practiced by those not of the Grimleal. The other countries that practiced slavery were in the continent of Valm; however, from what Virion has told him, Walhart promised emancipation to all slaves if they swore into military service increasing the size of his army by another two-fold. Lewis cursed when he found another reason why Walhart's men were such fanatics for him. The upcoming fight with Valm grew dimmer the more he heard about Walhart.

While Robin went to the Lord of Thetford to gain more information about the highwaymen that were plaguing the town, Lewis wasn't content at sitting around in the barracks to stew in his thoughts so he decided to take the time to scout out potential taverns for after the mission. Although Lewis was slightly disappointed that the plans have changed, he valued Lissa's happiness more than his carnal desires. Although Vaike's rather enthusiastic affirmative was a bit disconcerting, Lewis simply chalked it up to Vaike being Vaike.

As he was walking through the dirt streets, Lewis saw how well-maintained Ylisstol and Southtown was compared to the other towns. First, the smell of human waste was horrible. While human waste wasn't dumped all over the streets, the lack of a river running through the town meant that any human waste was temporarily stored in cesspits and outhouses before they were taken to the nearby river to be dumped. Second, the houses were all one-room cabins made of some mixture of animal dung, straws, and clay while Ylisstol and Southtown had an outer layer of stone or lime with a wooden skeleton. Third, Lewis was nearly pickpocketed five times. Thankfully, Frederick's training made him far more aware of his surroundings so he was able to catch all those little buggers before they could run off with his money bag or pistols.

When Lewis passed by a group of women who were weaving fabrics on a loom, Lewis paused to see them work. The work was awfully repetitive. A string was looped weaved between other strings that were held vertically by some wooden frame. Suddenly, a thought came over Lewis. This weaving process could be mechanized, couldn't it? He remembered something about some type of machine that used rivers as the power source for mass-producing fabrics.

Realizing how much money Lewis could make if this succeeded, Lewis took out a piece of paper, sat down under a tree, and began pondering how the weaving processed could be simplified by a machine. Noticing Lewis's interest, the women invited Lewis to sit with them so he could have a closer view of the weaving process and ask them questions about how the fabric industry was managed. The women were greatly amused at how interested a man was in weaving so they humored Lewis as they replied as best as they could. He even got to try his hand at weaving. While Lewis was busy trying to recall how the weaving machine would look like, he didn't notice someone sneaking upon him.

"You know Lewis... You do understand that all these women here are married." Lewis frowned as he was disrupted from his thoughts. He was so close to recalling how the strings were organized in the flying shuttle, a weaving machine from the industrial revolution, until some rude individual disrupted his thoughts with some accusation that was best reserved for Virion.

Without even looking up from his diagrams, Lewis retorted with a sharp tone. "I am not _lusting_ after these women. I am merely interested in the weaving process to see if I could make a machine that would speed up the process. These women were merely kind enough to humor me with my questions."

"Oh, Darius. You shouldn't tease the young man. It's rare to find one with an interest in this stuff, and he wasn't a bother." Daisy, the woman next to him, spoke up. Lewis frowned as the name Darius sounded familiar. Suddenly, the voice and name matched up with a face, and Lewis snapped his head up to look to see if he was right.

Darius, a noble turned merchant, smiled back and waved. "Why hello there! It's nice to see you in my hometown. You should've sent a letter so I could properly welcome you!"

Lewis wracked his brain as he tried to remember any other details about the man in front of him. "You're the fabric merchant, right? In charge of the trade of fabrics between Ylisstol and Thetford?"

"Yup! I'm glad you remembered! I was afraid you forgot who I was for a second."

Lewis suppressed a smirk as he remembered other details of the man in front of him. "How could I forget the 'upstart' that defeated Guild master Aurum at chess?"

About two weeks ago, the Exalt managed to squeeze Lewis into an auction house so he could make more connections with the upper class and merchants. While Lewis didn't buy anything, he was able to meet with a couple of minor lords as well as some merchants. Granted, most of the people Lewis met were pricks so he wasn't keen on partnering with most but a couple. Before the auction, some chess boards were set up for guests to amuse themselves. To pass the time, the Guild master decided to pass the time with a massive win streak until Darius came along.

Darius caught Lewis's interest so he chatted with him. Surprisingly, he wasn't an arrogant prick despite his noble status. Lewis considered Darius for a business partnership, but Lewis wanted to hold off until he knew Darius better so he wouldn't end up with a knife in his back.

From what he knew so far from utilizing Guild master Aurum expansive information network, Darius was the older brother of the current lord of Thetford. Yes, he was the older brother; however, he gave up his rights for inheritance so when his father died from some illness a couple years back, his younger brother inherited the title. Of course, this made Lewis highly suspicious so until he had a firmer grasp of Darius, he would treat him cautiously.

"The old geezer needed a proper challenge after all those pitiful excuses of chess players. He was properly taken back by someone competent suddenly appearing. I wouldn't have won otherwise. So, why does weaving suddenly become appealing to you?" Perhaps Darius couldn't withstand the suffocating social status that came with the title.

"And why do you care?"

"Cause I can smell it. You're planning something big. Money-making big." Lewis stared back with an even expression.

"You must have quite a keen smell. It is a good thing you are not a hound for you would make a poor one."

Darius ignored the jab and wagged his finger. "Nonono. You aren't fooling anyone. I know that someone like you couldn't possibly take an interest in something mundane as weaving unless you had some stake in it."

"Have I given you that impression?" Lewis frowned as he thought back to the conversation with Darius. They mainly talked about what type of items the auction will exhibit, the current market price of fabrics, as well as some gossip about some sort of scandal between two noble families.

"Well, you are saying that an _outrealmer_ who has earned the favor of the Exalt, is acquaintances with numerous guild masters, is a rising star in the alchemic field, a friend of the church, and inventor of the printing press with numerous other projects underway just happens to get interested in weaving so much so that he is wasting numerous sheets of paper trying to draw out something for no reason at all? I'm not buying it." Lewis was flattered that his work was garnering attention and slightly concerned at how some nobody knew so much about him. Perhaps this was how celebrities felt when they met up with fans. It wasn't a pleasant experience.

"Well, I am planning something, but it is still in the development phase. So far, it's not going well, and I'm starting to think I should just abandon it." Lewis deliberately spoke as vaguely as possible with some lies sprinkled in.

"Well, I'm sure that someone of your intelligence could overcome whatever problems there are. Is it anything I could help out with?" Now, Lewis was getting a bit interested in the hidden message hidden beneath that innocent question. If this Darius merchant truly dug in deep for information regarding Lewis's projects, even he should know just how much Lewis and his partners would gain if they succeeded. His current project of cement, blast furnaces, and the steam engine weren't something to be scoffed at.

Lewis frowned as he once more wondered about potentially entering into a partnership with Darius. Darius wasn't someone who was recommended by the Exalt herself so Lewis was reluctant on taking such a risk. However, it would be good to stretch out his connections and take the initiative himself. After some careful thinking, Lewis decided to take the risk.

"I am currently in Thetford with some other Shepherds to deal with the highwaymen. We plan on staying in this town for a night after wiping them out. Perhaps then we could have a chat?" Lewis held out his hands for a shake.

Darius returned the handshake with enthusiasm. "That's great! I was wondering when the capital would send someone to deal with those pesky thieves. They've been wreaking havoc on our businesses. So many merchants are afraid to take this route and have been going elsewhere to buy fabrics. When are you going to go?"

"I don't know, but you should ask your brother. Our tactician is with him right now to get more information about the highwaymen. He should be able to fill you in." Lewis phrased the question in such a way in order to check the relationship between Darius and the current lord.

"I see. How should I contact you?" Either Darius had a cordial relationship with his brother or he was a good actor. Well, the truth would come out sooner or later.

"Well, the Lord plans on providing us with a small feast after our mission as thanks for dealing with the highwaymen. You can pass on the message then and there." Lewis spied Stahl coming up the road so he quickly tried to wrap up the conversation.

"It seems my comrade has come. It was nice talking to you. And thank you, ladies, for answering my questions. I really hope I wasn't a bother." Lewis did a small bow to the five ladies who was listening to the conversation for some gossip.

"It was no problem, sweetie. I wish you luck in your mission. I would hate to see you hurt." The other four women nodded in agreement at Daisy's words. After a small wave, Lewis walked back to Stahl who was looking at Lewis with great amusement.

"Damn. Trying to woo five ladies at once. You must be feeling really pent up..."

"Just stop. It was business. I was trying to see if I could mechanize the weaving process." Stahl's grin was replaced by a frown and a sigh.

"Are you going to lock yourself in your lab for another week when we get back?" Stahl dryly asked.

"Well, yeah? Anyway, why did you come to get me?" Lewis didn't understand Stahl's annoyance. It wasn't like he was skipping out on training, and he did go outside from time to time. Besides, the lab was where he kept himself busy and productive so certain unwanted thoughts didn't pop up.

Stahl bit his lips in concern but merely shook his head. He made a mental note to tell Robin that Lewis still planned on locking himself in his lab after the mission was over. "Robin wanted your opinion om some matters."

Lewis threw up his hands in exasperation. "I just don't understand why Robin keeps coming to me for advice. I don't have any formal training whatsoever. She should go to Virion. At least _he_ has experience at leading troops."

"You know how Virion feels about that. Virion doesn't trust himself ever since that disastrous defeat against Walhart." Ever since Walhart had become a threat to the sovereignty of the multiple Valmese nations, a coalition was formed against him, a coalition that the dukedom of Rossanne was a part of. However, Walhart smashed the coalition apart in battle, and Virion was forced to retreat in shame. It was this factor that pushed him to flee the Valmese continent in an attempt to find allies.

Lewis clicked his tongue. "Either way, he is the only person in the Shepherds with _actual_ battle experience. His advice is invaluable no matter what he thinks."

"Well, we can't force him, and you are the only other person with some _sense_ of tactical knowledge."

Lewis scoffed, but Stahl interrupted Lewis with whatever he was going to say. "Who else is Robin supposed to turn to? Ylisse has no more tacticians ever since Exalt Emmeryn's demobilization. Virion lost his confidence and always runs away when Robin tries to get some advice from him so he's out. Chrom? The guy who proposed sending the pegasus knights straight into a group of archers? Frederick? He always suspects a trap and constantly second-guesses _everything_. He drives Robin nuts with his indecisiveness not to mention his strange tendency to solve things by setting everything on fire. Miriel? She ALWAYS overthinks things and makes some convoluted strategy that breaks apart at the first sign of trouble. Me? I can't even make heads or tails out of the logistics reports. Sumia? She's far too soft-hearted to make the tough decisions. For Naga's sake, Vaike of all people? Like it or not, you are Robin's best hope for a second opinion."

Lewis gave a dead look at Stahl. "Stahl. My knowledge comes from books and games. My inexperience may end up getting us all killed."

"Have a bit more faith in Robin. Besides, I was with you guys when you were planning this mission, and you weren't _that _bad."

"What I'm really worried about is when full-scale war breaks out. I don't want Robin to depend on me when that happens."

"Then, get some experience through small skirmishes like what we are doing now. Have more faith in us. We aren't going to die from a couple of bandits even if you do make a couple of mistakes in the planning. Best make them now before the war."

Lewis stared at Stahl in amazement. "That's the wisest thing that I have heard you say."

"Thanks. Now I expect some payment back home for that advice."

"You got it." After patting Stahl's shoulder, Lewis ran in the room where Robin was scrutinizing the maps, placing figurines in certain areas. Hearing the door open, Robin looked up and raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"You don't have that annoyed look in your face this time."

"I accepted my fate. There is no one else after all."

"About time you realized that. Anyway, get over here." Robin gestured to Lewis and pointed at the red figurine on the map.

"Some hunters were able to locate where the brigands were camping out. The estimated number is around 10 with magic users and a couple of archers. Normally, I would just do some sort of hit and run tactics to divide them up, but the problem is that they are in a place where they can easily escape if things got ugly. They have a boat to run away with, and trees make it hard to maneuver with the horses so we can't run them down. My plan is to station you on the opposite side of the river so that you can provide cover fire as well as shoot down anybody that gets on that boat while the rest of us will take them out one by one."

"Okay. The problem?"

"You are by yourself, and that gun of yours isn't subtle. They get another person on your side of the river, and you are going to be in big trouble."

"How big are the trees? Do I have to be on the other side?"

"I used my skill to get a proper view of their camp. The trees are all more or less equal height."

"Then I guess we don't have much choice."

"Are you sure? There is a reason why I try to pair up people whenever I can. You'll be without support."

"If you've got a better plan, say it. I can't think of anything else that could stop them from escaping with that boat unless we do a night raid, but even then we don't have anyone who has the skills as an infiltrator." Lewis grumbled about how useful Gaius would be at this moment.

"I just don't want you getting hurt. You aren't exactly trained for close combat." Lewis cringed as he remembered how his spars with the rest of the shepherds went. Out of everyone, he was the weakest other than the dedicated healer or mages. Even Virion could defeat him because he was trained from a young age on the use of rapiers. If it wasn't for his rifle, he was sure that Frederick would have pushed Chrom to put him in the reserves like Ricken. Everyone knew just how valuable a long-ranged anti-armored personnel weapon could be.

"I know. It's why I commissioned the Royal Blacksmiths to make these two pistols."

Robin's eyes widened at his two pistols. "You made more?"

"Yup. Sadly, these guys aren't rifled, but they'll do the job for close-range fighting. I do have some trump cards now."

"So, you can make more?"

Lewis raised an eyebrow at Robin's insistence on the subject. "Yes? It's not that hard. You don't have to worry about espionage because I made sure with Frederick that the Royal Blacksmiths know how to keep their mouth shut."

"Is it possible to make the others one as well? I think it would be good for other Shepherds to have an additional option like that. Frederick would especially benefit from one. It would give him more of a fighting chance against mages."

"Sure... But I haven't been able to reproduce these caps." Although Lewis has been able to successfully create black powder, he was still working on creating the proper primers for the blasting caps. Lewis was able to properly synthesize mercury fulminate since he was a big fan of _Breaking Bad_, but Lewis didn't feel comfortable using it considering mercury was quite toxic. As a result, he was trying to make an alternative using the alkaline metals, but he ran into a couple of problems, mainly purifying the damn metal from its salts. Lewis winced as he recalled how many times he blew up the explosives lab. In the last explosion, he had to call in Lissa and Maribelle for quick medical support such as reattaching his fingers. It really put a damper on continuing his project.

"How close are you to recreating it? I assume all those explosions and almost losing your fingers were worth it?"

"Sadly, I have only been able to recreate one, but I am hesitant about using it because of its toxic properties. I do have an alternative called a flintlock, but it has its problems. I'm going to try a couple more times in trying to find an alternative, but I wouldn't hold out on it. I'm close to giving up."

"Let's talk more about that later. We'll go with our initial plan then. Nothing to add I presume?"

"Have you identified them from Ylisse's mercenary records or are they just nobodies?" Ever since Ylisse demobilized, it also meant they cut off their contracts with lots of mercenary groups. Most moved to Ferox or Plegia, but a couple decided to resort to banditry. Gangrel was happy to finance most of the former mercenaries if it meant weakening Ylisse.

"Thankfully, they aren't a veteran group. If they were, I would have sent Phila a letter asking for reinforcements."

"Good. I think we should be fine then. When are we moving out?"

"After I kill Vaike for tricking me into signing that piece of paper." Lewis wisely kept his mouth shut as he watched Robin storm out of the building to hunt down Vaike. Shaking his head, he went to his room to begin making more cartridges for the battle.


End file.
